When retailers accept fake bills, they bear the entire burden of the loss. Although counterfeiters&#; techniques are improving, the bad bills can be detected. Here&#;s how to spot counterfeit money and protect your business from related losses.  

Counterfeit money is an ongoing threat retailers can&#;t afford to be complacent about. During the first three months of , U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $ million in counterfeit currency in Chicago, Illinois. Another $, in fake currency was seizedin California.

Unfortunately for businesses, not all counterfeit bills are found and seized before getting into distribution. And when a business accepts fake money in payment for merchandise or services, they lose the face value of the money they received plus any goods or services they provided to the customer who paid with the counterfeit $20, $50, or $ bill.

Fake money shows up in different states in different denominations at different times. Some counterfeiters use drug addicts and street people to spread phony $10 and $20 bills to a wide bunch of business establishments. The business owners don’t take notice of the bills because the purchases are small and the counterfeit money denominations are so small.  

Crooks who pass the $50 and the $ bills tend to be more professional. They are confident and legitimate-looking, so business owners readily accept the phony bills without becoming suspicious.

In one case, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau (BBB) was alerted to a $ counterfeit bill that had been passed to an unidentified retailer in Southeastern Connecticut. According to the Connecticut BBB, the phony bill began as a legitimate $5 banknote.

“The counterfeiters apparently used a technique that involves bleaching legitimate money and altering the bills to look like $ notes,” the BBB stated in an announcement. “Many businesses use special pens to detect counterfeit currency; however, the pens cannot give a definitive confirmation about suspected altered currency, and they are not sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.”

Large bills like $ and $50 bills aren&#;t the only ones that are counterfeited, either. In December, , U.S. officials seized close to $1 million in counterfeited one dollar bills.

RELATED: Learn to Spot Fake Cashier&#;s Checks

How to Spot Counterfeit Money

Business owners can train their employees to examine all bills they receive, $10 and higher. If they believe they are being given counterfeit money, they can call the police.

Small business owners need to be aware of the many ways to detect counterfeit money. The Secret Service offers a downloadable PDF called Know Your Money that points out key features to look at to determine if a bill is real or fake. The Secret Service and U.S. Treasury also offer these suggestions:

• Hold a bill up to a light and look for a hologram showing an image that matches the face of the individual on the bill. Both images should match. If someone has bleached and altered a $5 bill to look like a $ bill, for instance, the hologram will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on the $5 bills, instead of Benjamin Franklin.
• Looking at the bill through a light will also reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.

• Color-shifting ink: If you hold a new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, observe the numeral in the lower right-hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.
• Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
• Security Thread: Hold the bill a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin embedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50, the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20, and $, it&#;s located just to the left of the portrait.
• Ultraviolet Glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange; the $20 bill glows green; the $50 bill glows yellow; and the $ bill glows red — if they are authentic.
• Microprinting: There are minute microprinting on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread; the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $ bill has the words “USA ” written on the security thread. Microprinting can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
• Fine Line Printing Patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
• Comparison: Compare the feel and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic.

Know what to do if you suspect fake bills

If you believe you have received counterfeit money,  the U.S. Treasury advises you to do the following:

• Do not put yourself in danger.
• Do not return the bill to the passer.
• Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
• Observe the passer’s description — and their companions’ descriptions — and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
• Contact your local police department or call your local Secret Service office.
• Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
• Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Special Agent. You can also mail it to your nearest Secret Service office.

Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it. So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

RELATED: Protect Yourself and Your Business From Identity Theft

The counterfeit detector pen was patented over 30 years ago by a Belgian inventor who moved to the USA in the s. Dri Mark Products, a New York manufacturer of writing instruments, purchased that patent in Dri Mark was the first company to market and distribute this product and held exclusive patent rights until

Since its introduction, the pen has been the most widely used and successful counterfeit detection device in history. The first major retailer to sell this product was the well-known office superstore chain Office Depot. It first appeared on the shelves in , and it was an instant hit. Sales of the item doubled in each of the first 5 years, and steadily increased for over 20 years. Since its inception, well over million counterfeit detector pens have been sold here in the USA, and hundreds of millions more throughout the world.

What is a counterfeit detector pen?

Essentially, a counterfeit detector pen is a marker, similar in construction to a felt tip “Flair” pen. A plastic tube is fitted with a polyester reservoir (similar to a cigarette filter) which is impregnated with a solution of solvent and iodine. A “nib” (the writing tip) is inserted into the reservoir to soak up and distribute the solution to the end of the tip, which is where the solution meets the writing surface. Marker tips are generally made of molded porous polyester but can also be crafted of extruded polyester or acrylic fiber. The fiber tips are usually more durable and distribute a more even flow of liquid. The best quality counterfeit detector pens are made with precise fitting plastic components, which prevent air leaks. Air leaks can dry the markers out, or even worse, produce false test results.

How does it work?

A counterfeit detector pen is a chemical test which distinguishes the type of paper used for printing money. Genuine US currency is printed on Cranes currency paper stock. Cranes is a company based in New England, and they have produced US currency paper for over years. Cranes paper in made entirely of linen and cotton and is therefore quite durable and resistant to tearing, read more about Cranes HERE.

Virtually, all common paper is made with refined wood pulp combined with mineral pigments and starch. The counterfeit detector pen is basically an iodine solution delivery system. You may remember from chemistry class that iodine reacts with starch by turning the starch brown or black. When you take a counterfeit detector pen and make a mark on regular paper, it will turn brown or black, indicating that there is starch in the paper. Of course, US money is NOT printed on regular paper, but rather on Cranes linen and cotton paper. There is zero starch content in currency paper, so the iodine will not react. When you make a mark on genuine money with the pen, the mark will remain pale yellow.

Simply put, when you mark on real money, there is no chemical reaction, and the mark stays yellow. When you mark on a counterfeit bill, a chemical reaction occurs, and the mark turns dark.

So why don’t counterfeiters just use currency paper?

Simply put, they can’t get it. Crane’s will not sell it to anyone but the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Of course, this has not stopped some counterfeiters from trying to get their hands on the paper. One method counterfeiters use to defeat the pen is by a process commonly known as “bill bleaching”. In fact, the bills are not really bleached at all. They take a $ bill and soak it in a tray of heavy solvent, such as acetone (nail polish remover). This begins to dissolve the ink and the counterfeiter then scrapes off the rest with steel wool. What’s left is a blank piece of correctly sized currency paper which is then overprinted with a higher denomination, usually a $20, $50 or $ This is far from the most common form of counterfeiting, but it is significant enough that many retailers choose to supplement use of the pen with some other detection methods. Incidentally, there are some governments such as Iran that have found a way in the past to obtain currency paper stock and have manufactured “super bills” which are nearly impossible to detect by the pen, but also by higher technologies. While this type of counterfeit is rare, it’s a potential problem for retailers, banks, and the Secret Service.

Can Counterfeit Detector Pens be used on the Euro, Peso, Yen, or other international paper money?

Some counterfeit detector pens work on many of the major currencies. Make sure that the formulation specifies “international, or “universal”. Many of the counterfeit detector pens sold in the USA are specifically formulated for the US Dollar and will not work on other money. This is generally due to the concentration of iodine. The industry standard Dri Mark pen is available in both US and Universal formulations. With the correct formulation, the pen works on the Euro, Pound, Japanese Yen, Chinese Renminbi, Swiss Franc and many others. Some countries have begun to use bills fabricated from acetate or other plastic sheets. Canada and Mexico are doing this with several denominations. The pen will not work on these. Check the manufacturer notes on whichever pen you purchase for information about other currencies. Learn more about Dri Mark’s Universal Counterfeit Detector Pen HERE.

Where are Counterfeit Detector Pens made?

These days, many brands (Royal Sovereign, MMF, Money Marker, Staples Store Brand) are made in Asia or
Mexico. The only US manufacturer is Dri Mark Products, which still makes the pens at their plant on
Long Island, New York.

Are there differences in quality among the brands?

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when purchasing counterfeit detector pens. The first is construction and quality. Pens with loose fitting caps should be avoided because of the risk of the ink drying out. Also, you should make sure to look for products with sturdy and thicker components. Counterfeit pens contain a high percentage of volatile solvents which can evaporate very quickly. If the plastic is too thin or the parts don’t fit perfectly, the solvents can evaporate, rendering the product ineffective.

The second thing to think about is the product’s longevity. Many of the Asian imports are very thin and contain less than 1 gram of fluid. Look for a product with a barrel dimension of ½ an inch or more. Thick nibs will also distribute an unnecessary amount of fluid. A thin sturdy nib emits the right amount of fluid and will extend the useful life of the product.

Should I depend on Counterfeit Detector Pens to protect my business?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is that the Counterfeit Detector Pen is mostly effective and will catch the majority of bad bills. However, it is not perfect and can be defeated by bill bleaching which will occasionally get past you and into your register. The pen is a proven front-line defense against common counterfeits, and your business should certainly be using some technique to minimize loss. It’s still a cost effective and easy solution to the problem. We would recommend having a back-up technology for bills that are troublesome (UV Lights, Ink Detectors or Scanners). Read more about alternative detection solutions HERE.

If Counterfeit Detector Pens are not perfect, why should I use them?

It really depends on your business, and the expectations you have. If you have a high volume of small transactions, the pen could be a great way to limit your losses from counterfeit. However, if you are taking very large cash transactions where you must have certainty about the bills (for example a stack of $s to pay for jewelry) you may want to invest in a higher technology for extra protection.

Shop Dri Mark’s Counterfeit Detector Pens HERE.

Counterfeit bills in the United States constitute a significant problem and a major headache for everyone from the government to the small business owner. The United States Department of Treasury estimates that there is approximately $70 million in counterfeit bills currently in circulation (which equates to 1 counterfeit bill for every 10, genuine bills) and that there may be as much as $ million in counterfeit bills in circulation (which equates to 1 counterfeit bill for every 4, genuine bills).

This means that you as an individual are very likely to encounter a counterfeit banknote at least once, and businesses that handle a high volume of cash, such as grocery stores, casinos, shops, and merchants, are even more likely to have to deal with counterfeit bills.

Security Features in Genuine Currency

To deter counterfeiters, the United States Department of Treasury has implemented a variety of security features into its genuine banknotes which are difficult for counterfeiters to imitate.

For instance, each hundred dollar bill has a security thread that runs vertically to the left of Benjamin Franklin’s portrait. The thread alternates the number and the letters USA and can be seen from both sides of the banknote. Furthermore, when held under UV light, the security thread glows pink.

Another feature is the 3-D security ribbon which is woven into the note (not printed on it) and which changes appearance (from bells to s) when the note is viewed from different angles. Other features include a bell in the inkwell that changes color when the note is tilted, a watermark, and ink which changes in color when the note is tilted. These security measures have all been implemented into the new hundred dollar bill, but smaller denominations of bills also possess some of these security features.

The fact that such technologically advanced security measures have been incorporated into genuine United States currency helps to demonstrate how big of a problem the US government considers counterfeiting to be. The Department of the Treasury knows what a financial strain it is to shopkeepers and small business owners. They take their hard-earned gains to the bank to deposit, only to discover that they have been cheated out of what is rightfully theirs by some criminals and their counterfeiting operation.

Consequences of Counterfeit Currency

Counterfeit currency may potentially result in the loss of thousands of dollars in income for a business. If a business does not have a dependable testing procedure for identifying counterfeit bills, it will be easily taken advantage of by counterfeiters and criminals, who can pass hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit bills to a business without anyone noticing. When the business owner goes to deposit that money at the bank, he or she will be in for a nasty surprise.

Thus, any business that handles cash on a regular basis will need to implement a testing procedure for identifying counterfeit bills. This is why the counterfeit detector pen was invented. The cashier will make a mark on any bill he or she deems suspect with a counterfeit pen, and the resulting color is supposed to inform the cashier as to whether or not the bill is genuine currency.

Counterfeit detector pens work in the following way: genuine United States currency is printed on a paper derived from cotton and linen. The paper for genuine currency is thus not wood-based, unlike almost all common printer paper. The wood-based paper contains starch. A counterfeit detector pen contains a solution of iodine. This iodine reacts with the starch molecules that are present in a normal, wood-based paper, to leave a dark brown mark. This black mark indicates that the bill is fake. Neither linen nor cotton fiber will react with iodine, so the mark will not turn black. Thus, a counterfeit detector pen is intended to detect homemade counterfeit bills that a lazy criminal printed on a printer at home with a typical printer paper that one can purchase at a local office supplies store.

Why Counterfeit Detector Pens Cannot Be Relied on

Unfortunately, many counterfeiting operations are far more sophisticated than the home printer operation detailed above. An easy way for counterfeiters to get around the counterfeit detector pen test is to use the same paper on which genuine currency is printed. A counterfeiter can do this by simply bleaching a genuine banknote and reprinting it in a higher denomination (turning a one-dollar bill into a hundred dollar bill, for example). Some more sophisticated counterfeiting operations can even obtain genuine blank currency paper with the proper linen and cotton fiber blend by purchasing it on the black market or from governments which may be unfriendly to the United States.

Also, those counterfeiters who choose to print their counterfeit bills using wood-based paper can still easily get around the counterfeit pen detector test. For instance, the counterfeiter can prepare a Vitamin C solution with ground up Vitamin C supplement tablets purchased from the drug store and apply it to the fake banknote. If such a solution is applied to a banknote, the counterfeit detector pen will produce a false negative (it will indicate that the bill is real when in fact it is a fake note printed on wood-based paper).

Basically, the only counterfeit bills which a counterfeit detector pen will detect are those printed on regular wood-based printer paper. And it does not even detect those percent of the time, since there are easy chemical solutions to get around the pen detection test. It will not detect bills that have been bleached and reprinted with a higher denomination, and it certainly will not detect counterfeit bills that have been printed on paper normally used for genuine currency. Thus, even a properly functioning counterfeit detector pen is, at best, limited in its function of detecting counterfeit bills. It will only detect bills printed by the laziest and least sophisticated of counterfeiters.

Another downside of counterfeit detector pens is that they are subject to misinterpretation. Each counterfeit detector pen maker uses a slightly different proprietary solution in its pens, and they may all react in a slightly different way. A dark brown mark is almost always a positive test for a fake banknote, but the same shade of brown mark may indicate a genuine note for some pens and a fake note for other pens. Furthermore, the solution within the pens is subject to degradation and can lose its effectiveness over time, even in detecting wood-based printer paper counterfeit bills.

The Best Way to Detect Counterfeit Bills

The best way to detect counterfeit bills, then, is certainly not with a counterfeit detector pen. This solution may seem cheap, speedy, and easy, but if you are a small business owner interested in keeping your business in the black, using such a counterfeit detector pen as your only line of defense against counterfeit banknotes will surely cause you pain and heartache in the long run, and cause your bottom line to suffer. Here are some alternatives to counterfeit detector pens for detecting fake banknotes.

First of all, if time permits, a detailed examination by a practiced eye with a magnifying glass is an excellent way of determining if banknotes are fake or genuine. Unfortunately, most cashiers do not have this kind of knowledge regarding banknotes, and even if they do, they usually would not have the time to examine each of the bills in such a detailed manner without aggravating or insulting the customers. But if you hire a cashier who has worked for many years as a bank teller, this may be a practical solution for you.

For most business owners, the most practical and reliable method of detecting counterfeit banknotes is a fake note detector. These machines will implement a variety ofelements designed to look for the security features implemented into banknotes.. Some machines also use magnetic thread detection.

­I­f you have looked at the most recent $20 bills from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, you know that they have an army of security features designed to make counterfeiting more difficult. The most obvious of these features is the "20" in the lower right corner written in color-change ink. There's also a security strip embedded in the paper to the left of Andrew Jackson that is visible if you hold the bill up to the light. Other new features include micro-writing, a watermark and very closely spaced lines (for example, behind Jackson's face) that are harder for a counterfeiter to reproduce.

All of these features are nice, but no store clerk is going to stand and hold each $20 bill he or she receives up to the light to check for a security strip! It takes too long and it is not a flattering pose to strike

The counterfeit detector pen solves the biggest counterfeiting threat today. It used to be that a counterfeiting operation used expensive presses and special inks and papers to create exact duplicates of the bills. Today, the threat is much more mundane -- people with color copiers and color printers try to create passable facsimiles of a bill. They are not trying to make an exact copy. They are trying to create something close enough that people won't notice anything if they give the bill a passing glance. These folks are not particularly careful or meticulous, so they copy or print onto normal, wood-based paper.

The counterfeit detector pen is extremely simple. It contains an iodine solution that reacts with the starch in wood-based paper to create a black stain. When the solution is applied to the fiber-based paper used in real bills, no discoloration occurs. The pen does nothing but detect bills printed on normal copier paper instead of the fine papers used by the U.S. Treasury.

These links will help you learn more:

Originally Published: Apr 1,

1. Will DriMark&#;s Counterfeit Detection Pen respond properly to paper currency and standard computer paper?
2. Is there another sort of paper that would be detected as &#;currency&#; by the pen?
3. Randi coats money with spray starch to fool the pen &#; does that work?
4. If I find a non-currency paper that fools the pen, can I spray it with starch so that it will then read as &#;counterfeit&#;?
5. I&#;ve read that hairspray would defeat the pen and cause it to indicate non-currency paper is valid currency. Is this true? Can I cause starch-soaked currency to read as valid?

1. DriMark Counterfeit Detector Pen with adhesive holder! (It was cheaper than purchasing 3 to a package.) Patent number 5,, is proudly printed on the bottom of the package.
   
2. Dollar bills. I used four singles instead of twenties, fifties or hundreds for two reasons. First, I&#;ll be writing on these bills with a counterfeit detection pen, and I don&#;t want a cashier to refuse my money because they think it&#;s funny. Second, I&#;m not so rich that I can play with hundred dollar bills!
3. Starch. I could have used a powder starch and mixed it with water, but who needs that hassle? I used Niagara spray starch because I&#;m familiar with it from using it every week for ten years while I was in the Air Force.
4. Hair Spray. After a lot of thought I made the scientific decision to use Suave unscented with Extra Hold. (Luckily I happened to have a supply of this in my bathroom!)
5. Computer paper, coffee filters, paper towels. Other sorts of paper to experiment on, and to use to clean up my mess afterwards.
6. One domestic felines, absolutely required as an impartial observer and judge. My feline owner, a Mr. Samuel Francisco, (aka Cisco) was gracious enough to volunteer his services.

1. Test the pen to make sure it can tell the difference between good money and computer paper. This initial check also serves to prove that the pen is working as advertised. I applied the pen to one of the dollar bills and to a sheet of computer paper (folded in half).
2. Apply spray starch to the next dollar bill in an attempt to make it read as fake. Apply hairspray to the folded computer paper in an attempt to make it read as real. I used an evaporative rotary oscillator to facilitate in the drying of these sprays.
3. After drying, test the results by re-applying the counterfeit money detector pen to both the dollar and to the computer paper.
4. Using the counterfeit money detector pen, test a single coffee filter paper from the package of Brew Rite bargain filters that I found in my cupboard.
5. Spray another coffee filter paper with starch and allow to dry on the evaporative rotary oscillator.
6. Using the counterfeit money detector pen, test the coffee filter sprayed with starch to determine if it registers as counterfeit or real.
7. Using the dollar bill sprayed with starch from item (2) above, spray this bill with hairspray and allow it to dry.
8. Test the bill with the counterfeit money detector pen to determine if it registers as fake or real.

1. Writing on money is legal as long as I don&#;t make it &#;unfit for circulation&#; according to title 18, Section of the United States Code. Still I find myself reluctant to write on it, so helpfully I write, &#;Not Fake&#; to put any receiving cashiers at ease. Writing on computer paper is easy except I have a minor bit of writer&#;s block, so I just give a friendly &#;Hi!&#; The pen works as expected &#; the computer paper is fake money, and the dollar bill is real money.
2. After spraying the bill with starch and the computer paper with hairspray I again test them both with the counterfeit detector pen. As predicted by James Randi, the second dollar bill now reads as counterfeit. The pen now indicates that the hairsprayed computer paper is genuine currency.
3. I then tested a coffee filter with the counterfeit pen. The coffee filter is apparently made completely out of genuine American currency paper because the pen indicates that it is NOT counterfeit.
   
4. I sprayed a new coffee filter with starch and allowed it to dry on the evaporator. Afterwards I tested it with the counterfeit detector pen and found that the coffee filter now (correctly) reads as counterfeit paper. I have no idea what starch will do to my morning cup of coffee, but I&#;ll bet it isn&#;t anything good!
5. At this point my neutral feline observer decided to preform a randoml quality control inspection while I worked, so I very carefully sprayed the previously starched bill with hair spray under his scrutiny.
6. The starched dollar bill, sprayed with hairspray, is now very shiny in the camera flash, but obviously NOT a counterfeit!

• During this test I accidentally marked one of the paper towels with the counterfeit detector pen, and found out that it was also apparently composed of genuine currency. I did not test these paper towels with starch or hairspray because I learned during cleanup that the starch made them very soggy.
• At first I used the spray on, rub dry method of drying the dollar bills after applying starch, but the first bill I tried this on indicated as &#;not counterfeit&#; after rubbing with a paper towel. It is my assumption that I didn&#;t allow enough time for the starch to soak into the bill. All further bills were allowed to dry without interference. The rubbed bill was removed from the experiment.

Every year, millions of "fake" notes are passed over retail counters and the majority are not identified as counterfeit until they're examined by the bank.  Most often, retail associates don't know how to identify legitimate money or they rely on the simplest of all anti-counterfeiting tools; the counterfeit pen.  Unfortunately, relying on the pen alone is not going to catch anyone other than an amateur who is printing money on a laser printer. 

What Is A Counterfeit Pen?

A counterfeit pen is simply an inexpensive device that is designed to determine if a bill is genuine or counterfeit.  The  pen contains a tincture of iodine as ink which, when drawn over a legitimate bill, will remain amber or brown.  According to one manufacturer the ink will turn black if the bill is counterfeit.

How Does A Counterfeit Pen Work?

The iodine in the pen reacts with starch, which, is the primary component that makes white paper look brighter. Most commercial paper, made from wood pulp,  is brown unless bleached and starched.  If there is no starch present in the paper then the pen will indicate - by remaining amber - that the bill is legitimate.

The fallacy around this theory is that sophisticated counterfeiters will not use paper that contains starch.  Instead they will obtain or replicate paper that is made from cotton fibers like those used in U.S. currency.

How Do Counterfeiters Defeat the Pen?

One method for obtaining "legitimate" paper that will fool any counterfeit pen is to wash a small denomination bill in bleach and use the resulting paper to print a larger denomination bill.  When a counterfeit pen is swiped over one of these bills it will appear as legitimate.

Another method is to obtain actual currency paper.  While this is not usually an available option for the average counterfeiter, governments unfriendly to the United States and sophisticated large scale operations do have access to starch free cotton fiber paper.

Are There Better Alternatives?

Absolutely.  Knowing the design and security elements for large denomination bills is an effective way of identifying counterfeit money.  Better still, investing in some affordable technological solutions will not only eliminate the majority of counterfeit bills crossing your counter, it will also reduce employee error.

The best anti counterfeit device you can by for the money is an UltraViolet counterfeit detection scanner.  Best used in highly lit point of sale locations, the UV detector identifies the ultraviolet security features present in most currencies.  Very little training is required.  By simply placing the bill in the detector, counterfeit currency is immediately identified, without the need for an employee to closely examine the bill.

UV detectors are also available in small handled pens as well as screen mounted units where space is limited.

Don't Rely On Cheap Solutions For An Expensive Problem

Relying solely on a counterfeit pen to protect your hard earned profits is like putting a band aid on a deep cut.  It may heal on the surface but it won't take care of the underlying problem.  Put a counterfeit procedure in place, train your people to identify currency security features and augment your process with accurate and affordable technology.

Though UV counterfeit detection lamps and counterfeit money pens are helpful tools, there are many other ways to tell if a bill is authentic or counterfeit, make fake money pass marker test. Physical characteristics of the banknote, such as ink, watermarks, and text, are intentional security measures to help people recognize authentic money.

When retail associates learn how to spot a fake $ bill, they can help reduce the chances of a business suffering a loss of thousands of dollars. Here is withholding investments in energy only markets list of eight ways to tell if a bill is real or counterfeit:

1. Color-shifting Ink
One of the first things to check to see if a bill is authentic is if the bill denomination on the bottom right-hand corner has color-shifting ink. Going back toall bills of $5 or more have this security feature. If you hold a new series bill (except for the new $5 bill) and tilt it back and forth, you can see that the numeral in the lower right-hand corner shifts from green to black or from gold to green.

2. Watermark
The watermark is a characteristic security feature of authentic banknotes, make fake money pass marker test. Many of the new bills use a watermark that is actually a replica of the face on the bill. On other banknotes, it is just an oval spot. Here are some things to keep in mind when looking at a bill’s watermark:
• The watermark should only be visible when you hold the bill up to the light.
• The watermark should be on the right side of the bill.
• If the watermark is a face, it should exactly match the face on the bill. Sometimes counterfeits bleach lower bills and reprint them with higher values, in which case the face wouldn’t match the watermark.
• If there is no watermark or the watermark is visible without being held up to the light, the bill is most likely a counterfeit.

3. Blurry Borders, Printing, or Text
An automatic red flag for counterfeit bills is noticeably blurry borders, printing, or text on the bill. Authentic bills are made using die-cut printing plates that create impressively fine lines, so they look extremely detailed. Counterfeit printers are usually not capable of the same level of detail. Take a close look, especially at the borders, to see if there are any blurred parts in the best investing apps 2022. Authentic banknotes also have microprinting, or finely printed text located in various places on the bill. If the microprinting is unreadable, even under a magnifying glass, it is probably counterfeit.

4. Raised Printing
All authentic banknotes have raised printing, which is difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce. To detect raised printing, run your fingernail carefully down the note. You should feel some vibration on your nail from the ridges of the raised printing. If you don’t feel this texture, then you should check the bill further.

5, make fake money pass marker test. Security Thread with Microprinting
The security thread is a thin imbedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50 bills the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20, and $ bills it is located just to the left.

Authentic bills have microprinting in the security thread as another layer of security. Below is a list of the microprinted phrases on authentic banknotes:
• $5 bill says “USA FIVE”
• $10 bill says “USA TEN”
• $20 bill says “USA TWENTY”
• $50 bill says “USA 50”
• $ bill says “USA ”

6. Ultraviolet Glow
Counterfeit detection tools and technology use ultraviolet light because this is a clear-cut way of telling if a bill is counterfeit. The security thread on authentic bills glow under ultraviolet light in the following colors:
• $5 bill glows blue
• $10 bill glows orange
• $20 bill glows green
• $50 bill glows yellow
• $ bill glows red/pink

7. Red and Blue Threads
If you take a close look at an authentic banknote, you can see that there are very small red and blue threads woven into the fabric of the bill. Although counterfeit printers try to replicate this effect by printing a pattern of red and blue threads onto counterfeit bills, if you can see that this printing is merely surface level, then it is likely the bill is counterfeit.

8. Serial Numbers
The last thing to check on a bill is the serial number. The letter that starts a bill’s serial number corresponds to a specific year, so if the letter doesn’t match the year printed on the bill, it is counterfeit. Below is the list of letter-to-year correspondence:
• E =
• G = A
• I =
• J =
• L = A

These security measures were designed not just to deter criminals from attempting to counterfeit money but to help people and businesses recognize counterfeit money when they see it. If you see even one error that could mean a bill is counterfeit, you should report it to the U.S. Currency Education Program to protect yourself from being held liable for any losses and to inform the Federal Reserve about counterfeit bills in circulation.

^{This article was originally published in July and update in August}

When retailers accept fake bills, they bear the entire burden of the loss. Although counterfeiters&#; techniques are improving, the bad bills can be detected. Here&#;s how to spot counterfeit money and protect your business from related losses.  

Counterfeit money is an ongoing threat retailers can&#;t afford to be complacent about. During the first three make fake money pass marker test ofU.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $ million in counterfeit currency in Chicago, make fake money pass marker test, Illinois. Another $, in fake currency was seizedin California.

Unfortunately for businesses, not all counterfeit bills are found and seized before getting into distribution. And when a business accepts fake money in payment for merchandise or services, make fake money pass marker test, they lose the face value of the money they received plus any goods or services they provided to the customer who paid with the counterfeit $20, $50, or $ bill.

Fake money shows up in different states in different denominations at different times. Some counterfeiters make fake money pass marker test drug addicts and street people to spread phony $10 and $20 bills to a wide bunch of business establishments. The business owners don’t max b money make me feel better instrumental notice of the bills because the purchases are small and the counterfeit money denominations are so small.  

Crooks who pass the $50 and the $ bills tend to be more professional. They are confident and legitimate-looking, so business owners readily accept the phony bills without becoming suspicious.

In one case, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau (BBB) was alerted to a $ counterfeit bill that had been passed to an unidentified retailer in Southeastern Connecticut. According to the Connecticut BBB, the phony bill began as a legitimate $5 banknote.

“The counterfeiters apparently used a technique that involves bleaching legitimate money and altering the bills to look like $ notes,” the BBB stated in an announcement. “Many businesses use special pens to detect counterfeit currency; however, the pens cannot give a definitive confirmation about suspected altered currency, and they are not sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.”

Large bills like $ and $50 bills aren&#;t the only ones that are counterfeited, either. In December,U.S. officials seized close to $1 million in counterfeited one dollar bills.

RELATED: Learn to Spot Fake Cashier&#;s Checks

How to Spot Counterfeit Money

Business owners can train their employees to examine all bills they receive, $10 and higher. If they believe they are being given counterfeit money, they can call the police.

Small business owners need to be aware of the many ways to detect counterfeit money. The Secret Service offers a downloadable PDF called Know Your Money that points out key features to look at to determine if a bill is real or fake. The Secret Service and U.S. Treasury also offer these suggestions:

• Hold a bill up to a light and look for a hologram showing an image that matches the face of the individual on the bill. Both images should match. If someone has bleached and altered a $5 bill to look like a $ bill, for instance, the hologram will display an image of Abraham Lincoln, who appears on the $5 bills, instead of Benjamin Franklin.
• Looking at the bill through a light will also reveal a thin vertical strip containing text that spells out the bill’s denomination.

• Color-shifting ink: If you hold a new series bill (except the $5 note) and tilt it back and forth, observe the numeral in the lower right-hand corner as its color shifts from green to black and back.
• Watermark: Hold the bill up to a light to view the watermark in an unprinted space to the right of the portrait. The watermark can be seen from both sides of the bill since it is not printed on the bill but is imbedded in the paper.
• Security Thread: Hold the bill a light to view the security thread. You will see a thin embedded strip running from top to bottom on the face of a banknote. In the $10 and $50, the security strip is located to the right of the portrait, and in the $5, $20, and $, it&#;s located just to the left of the portrait.
• Ultraviolet Glow: If the bill is held up to an ultraviolet light, the $5 bill glows blue; the $10 bill glows orange; the $20 bill glows green; the $50 bill glows yellow; and the $ bill glows red — if they are authentic.
• Microprinting: There are minute microprinting on the security threads: the $5 bill has “USA FIVE” written on the thread; the $10 bill has “USA TEN” written on the thread; the $20 bill has “USA TWENTY” written on the thread; the $50 bill has “USA 50” written on the thread; and the $ bill has the words “USA ” written on the security thread. Microprinting can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
• Fine Line Printing Patterns: Very fine lines have been added behind the portrait and on the reverse side scene to make it harder to reproduce.
• Comparison: Compare the make fake money pass marker test and texture of the paper with other bills you know are authentic.

Know what to do if you suspect fake bills

If you believe you have received counterfeit money,  the U.S. Treasury advises you to do the following:

• Do not put yourself in danger.
• Do not return the bill to the passer.
• Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
• Observe the passer’s description — and their companions’ descriptions — and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
• Contact your local police make fake money pass marker test or call your local Secret Service office.
• Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
• Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Special Agent. You can also mail it to your nearest Secret Service office.

Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it. So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

RELATED: Protect Yourself and Your Make fake money pass marker test From Identity Theft

Introduction

Detecting counterfeit currency is serious business for merchants, grocery stores, and casinos that turn over a lot of cash.  Because banks do not reimburse a depositor for counterfeits, make fake money pass marker test companies need to ensure the validity of the money they accept. Criminals and counterfeiters will quickly identify retailers and other businesses with lax testing processes and can pass thousands of dollars in false bills before anyone notices.

As a result, innovations like the counterfeit banknote detection pen were developed. This device offers a quick and easy means of testing the authenticity of certain types of banknotes like US currency – but is this method reliable, and does it even work anymore?

How Does a Counterfeit Detector Pen Work?

Banknotes today are packed with security features that make fake money pass marker test them virtually impossible for a casual counterfeiter to replicate. Between microprinting, raised printing technologies and color-shifting ink, counterfeiters can never really get everything right when attempting to create a fake banknote.  So instead, they focus on a good-enough fake that can fool a merchant.

The counterfeit detector pen is a logical response to these amatuer counterfeiters. Since most of these rip-off operations aren’t very sophisticated, they use regular paper instead of the cotton and linen hybrid that comprises American bills today, and that’s where they get caught.
Counterfeit detector pens contain a solution of iodine that reacts with the starch molecules that are naturally present in wood-based paper, leaving a dark stain that exposes the note as fake.

The iodine solution is non-reactive with cotton and linen fibres, as well as the polymer plastic notes used in Canada and the England. As a result, the pens are also effective at detecting counterfeits of these currency types as well.

Criticism of Counterfeit Detector Make fake money pass marker test you create a new security feature for a bank note, folks will praise it until they realize a way in which it isn’t perfect. Then, they’ll tell you that it’s useless because it doesn’t prevent counterfeiting. That’s human nature, and the same types of bitcoin investing for beginners vacations have been applied to counterfeit detection pens by collectors and merchants around the world.

The truth is that there are inherent flaws associated with counterfeit detector pens. A flaw in the pen has been cracked in several ways that criminals can now use to avoid their fake notes being discovered. First, Vitamin C solutions that are used to prepare invisible coatings and applied to fake banknotes. When someone uses the pen, the fakers solution can also cause counterfeit bills to pass a pen test.

A second approach used to fake the pen is to use bleached lower denomination banknotes. Crime groups organize illegal workers to bleach $1 bills, make fake money pass marker test, removing the ink from printing so that the original cotton/linen material can be used to reprint higher-value notes, make fake money pass marker test. Removing all the ink is very difficult, but it is possible to fake the pen test.  This is also why the pen should not be the only test done.  US$1 bills don’t have a thread or watermark, so a fake bleached bill should be obvious that way.

It has also been found that real US banknotes which go through the laundry and are exposed to bleach and other detergents might fail a pen test, despite being authentic.  If this happened too often, you can imagine a merchant will lose faith in the pen test

Are Counterfeit Detector Pens a Reliable Technology?

A banknote contains numerous security features, and a counterfeit detector pen is a tool that tests just one of them – but what about the rest? The truth is that there are ways to work around many counterfeit detection methods.

Still, we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to counterfeit detection. If you’re serious about keeping your collection free of counterfeits, consider incorporating multiple counterfeit detection methods to ensure the authenticity of notes that pass through your hands. A combination of UV light testing, counterfeit detection pen testing, and examination of other built-in security features should produce a reasonable level of confidence that your banknote is either real or fake.

Conclusion

Like any authenticity test, counterfeit detector pens are effective in many scenarios, but flawed in others. There is no silver bullet test when it comes to counterfeit detection. The best approach is to educate yourself on the security features present in the bills you collect, and ensure that you examine notes adequately before purchasing or accepting them. You’ll make fake money pass marker test to rely on all your senses, but you can learn the skills that will keep your business or collection safe from counterfeiters.

Sources

PHILADELPHIA There's a lot of Philadelphia in the redesigned $ bill, from Ben Franklin to Independence Hall, the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell, but it's really all about thwarting counterfeiters.

Wayne Victor Dennis told CBS Philadelphia station KYW-AM the Secret Service caught him printing $15 million - "2, pounds of brand new cash" - in fake 20s. The money looked so real it was making it in and out of banks years after he went to prison.

"I'm not proud of what I did, but I was proud of the job I did," Dennis told KYW-AM, make fake money pass marker test. "It was exciting, but it was very stressful - every bill you pass, it was very stressful."

He's written about his career as a counterfeiter in his book "Counterfeit Millionaire," but he said there's nothing get-rich-quick about faking this new $ bill.

"I would never - but if I chose to go back into that profession, I would never even waste my time on this currency," Dennis said.

It's largely because of one particular security feature: the 3-D ribbon, a vertical blue bar made of thousands of tiny lenses. Images of bells shift to s when the bill is tilted.

"It's a great idea, and I think it would be the most difficult part to counterfeit on this new bill," Dennis said.

The Franklin watermark is also tough to reproduce, though a rubber stamp inked with an olive oil-water mixture would get crooks close.

"You can simulate that but not make it a perfect reproduction," said Dennis. "You'd always be able to tell when you hold it up to a light."

Add in microscopic text, a giant fading gold "" on the back and a Liberty Bell in an inkwell that changes color and Dennis says the Benjamin could finally lose its crown as the most common counterfeit.

"If I was to go back into that business, I wouldn't even attempt it because there's just too much sophistication," he said.

The first line of defense against counterfeiters is the cashier. Too often, Dennis said, the money-taker relies on an acidity-testing pen to verify if a bill is legit.

"All I have to do is spray a counterfeit bill with clear Krylon paint, and it'll fool that pen any time," he said. "It'll make the bill feel even more real. I tell them to check the watermark. Go ahead and mark the bill, if that's what your manager tells you to do, but also hold it up bitcoin investor 9 11 the light. And don't just check to see that there is a watermark - make sure it's the same president" because some criminals will use $5 paper to print larger denominations.

Similarly, Dennis said few frontline cash handlers know to look for certain features, like color-shifting ink. Instead, when they see sparkly ink - which can be replicated by counterfeiters using glitter - they think it's real. And few cashiers use magnifiers to look for microprinting.

Dennis said there's no such thing as a "counterfeit-proof" bill, but currency-makers are getting better every year and criminals struggle to keep up. Even the best ones get caught: He's living proof.

"I was at something like 10 different federal prisons," said Dennis. "Take the same effort, knowledge, persistence and creativity and put it to a legitimate business. Do something legal, something positive for society."

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