As everyone knows, counterfeit technology is always changing and adapting to new counterfeit methods. Lately, we have been hearing about a new trend that has been hitting businesses unexpectedly. What some counterfeiters are now doing is bleaching $5 bills and printing $100 bill marks over it. This method has been around for quite a while, yet it is resurfacing and hitting companies who have not encountered it before. These businesses are now finding themselves ill-equipped to detect counterfeit bills.
Most businesses use a inexpensive method for checking for counterfeit bills, a counterfeit detector pen. Though these are effective most of the time, they will not detect these new bills because they are printed on legit paper, which is what the pen method is checking. Investing in a more robust counterfeit machine will potentially save you thousands over time. Technology is so advance in the counterfeit prevention world, that you can now buy a machine that will detect a counterfeit bill, using multiple criteria in a matter of seconds. This allows for minimal interruptions in your employee’s transactions.
Here are a few things to look at when buying a counterfeit detector:
- Method of detection
Find a machine that checks for more than one security method. Options are UV, magnetic strip, infrared, and metal thread detection. Luckily, there are machines that can cover all of these methods. - Speed of detection
The range in counterfeit speed detection can be anywhere from instant to 8 seconds, depending on the method used. When looking for a multifunctional counterfeit detector, try to find one that will detect fast, but is accurate. - Counting option
Many counterfeit machines simply just check to see if a bill is counterfeit. However, you can find a few that will not only detect counterfeit bills, but will also count bills, perform accumulation calculations, and more. Software updates
As counterfeit technology changes, buying a machine can not appear to be as much of an investment. There are machines that will have available software upgrades for any future bill changes. Look for these, as the US Treasury department is always making changes.
The federal government has taken action, with the redesign of the new $5 bill. There are now 2 watermarks, as well an embedded security thread that runs vertically. Specifically, this security thread has the letters “USA” followed by the number “5” and will glow blue under an ultraviolet light.
