With technology being cheap and computer equipments available at dirt prices it’s becoming easier for the counterfeiters to duplicate the designs and images of modern currency. The threat of counterfeiting is a serious crime and governments the world over have taken severe steps to curb it. We will discuss a few of the methods that have been deployed against the counterfeiters worldwide.
In the late 80s the United States government issued 20, 50 and 100 dollar denominations that included a “security strip” inside the bill. This security strip is made of fluorescent plastic and is embedded in the bill itself. The strip runs from the top to the bottom of these bills and can be easily read when held under a fluorescent light bulb. The denomination of the bill is clearly written on the strip, which can help prevent counterfeiters from “upgrading” lower denominations of bill to higher denominations by “washing” the ink from the paper and reprinting the graphics of the bill using dye sub or laser printers.
Watermarking is another method that can prevent the counterfeiting of currency. This method is being used in the United States wherein the latest bills issued by the treasury contain images designed into the paper itself. These watermarked images on bills of different denominations match the images of different US Presidents. For example, the $100-bill bears the likeness of the former US President Benjamin Franklin with respect to the standard image as well as the watermark. These images can be seen quite easily when we hold the bills against a source of light.
The image in the watermark should match the image of the president on the bill. The $100 bill has Benjamin Franklin as the standard and the watermark image. Some currency notes such as the $5 bills have been counterfeited to $100 bills. This bill is a carbon copy of the genuine one, but under scrutiny, the watermark image will reveal Lincoln’s face as per the $5 bills and the true colors of the fake currency.
The latest counterfeit prevention technology put into use is the usage of special inks that appear to be different colors at different angles. Viewed from the left it would reveal the color green, and from the right the color would be black. These color-changing inks are very difficult to reproduce as they use a special compound that is next to impossible for the counterfeiters to manufacture.
These are just a few of the new security features built into modern United States currency. Be on the lookout for even more technology to be unveiled in the next few years as the treasury keeps up with the counterfeiters in the battle to maintain the integrity of the almighty dollar.
Copyright 2006, Devon Valenta, All Rights Reserved. This article may be published on web sites or in newsletters provided this notice and the resource box is included without ammendment.
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