Counterfeit Money Continues To Be A Problem As The U.S. Government Changes Bills. Are You Safe?

KAYSVILLE, Utah, November 8 – Counterfeit money is a growing problem that continues to grow with technology. Color copiers, printers, scanners and high-tech software make counterfeiting money easier than ever before. Criminals can use a personal computer to quickly create a counterfeit bill that can pass by the naked eye as legal tender. This growing problem is costing businesses around the world thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

Although many counterfeit bills may pass the naked-eye check, many additional features are put into a bill for easy authentication. Many counterfeit detectors are now available to help thwart counterfeiting efforts using several methods to detect fake bills (http://www.abcoffice.com/detect1.htm?source=pr2). These are some of the methods currently available:

Ultra Violet Light Detector

Currency created by a color copier or printer produces an image that rests on the surface of paper that can easily be seen when UV light is placed over it. Tiny particles of toner outside the image can also be easily seen with a UV light. Bill counters and counterfeit detectors have a UV light built into the machine. If a counterfeit bill is run through the machine, an alarm or light will alert you that the banknote is counterfeit.

Magnetic Detection or MG detection

U.S. banknotes are made with magnetic components. Several foreign currencies and travelers' checks are also made with magnetic components. MG detectors are capable of detecting the magnetic components in money. When a detector does not find the presence of the magnetic components, an alarm or light will sound letting you know the money is counterfeit.

Magnifying Detection

U.S. and other foreign currencies are printed with special marks and symbols that cannot be seen without the use of a magnifier. By using a magnifier, and knowing what to look for, you can see if the bill is counterfeit. This process takes longer and is not built into automatic bill counters or counterfeit detectors.

Watermark Detection

Watermarks are marks that are specially embossed into U.S. and other foreign currencies. These watermarks can be easily seen when held up to fluorescent light. Watermarks are hard to duplicate and when fake, are easily detectable.

Lighted Reflection

Some U.S. and foreign currencies have a metallic, color-changing emblem stamped into the banknote. An example is the U.S $100 bill that has a stamp in the lower right hand corner that will change from black to green. This is easily detected by the naked eye. Light reflection stamps are not detected by automatic bill counters and counterfeit detectors.

To learn more about the history of counterfeit money, please take a look at our counterfeit prevention guide: http://www.abcoffice.com/money-handling-guide.htm?source=pr2.

Many bill counters are also built with counterfeit detection in them (http://www.abcoffice.com/bill1.htm?source=pr2). One of the more popular bill counters on the market is the AB260 (http://www.abcoffice.com/ab260.htm?source=pr2). This bill counter is compact, portable and can count up to 600 bills a minute.

Ordering is simple at ABCOffice.com (http://www.abcoffice.com). Customers can call toll-free Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. MST. A knowledgeable customer service representative then assists with ordering the office equipment and supplies. Customers can also order online via the ABCOffice.com secure shopping cart.

To view ABCOffice's complete office product and supplies, visit http://www.abcoffice.com.

For further information, please contact David Stuart, Marketing Supervisor of ABCOffice.com, +1-800-658-8788. dstuart@abcoffice.com


####