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Counterfeit Detection 

  • Why Use Counterfeit Detection?

    Counterfeit bills have long been a problem for businesses, negatively impacting profits and causing uncertainty in any business that accepts cash. The Federal Reserve estimates that between $70 and $200 million in counterfeit U.S. currency could be circulating at any given time. Without protection, counterfeits could negatively affect your business.

    Counterfeit detection is a proven solution against counterfeit bills. With a range of advanced counterfeit detection technologies, Safescan provides the reliable tools your business needs to catch fake bills before they are accepted at your point of sale.

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  • The Prevalence of Counterfeit Currency

    Counterfeiting is nothing new – since the first introduction of money, criminals have worked to create counterfeits that can pass examination and be accepted as real currency. Today, the U.S. dollar is among the most counterfeited bills worldwide, along with the British pound and the Euro. As the total volume of cash in circulation increases, so does the number of fakes.

    Considering the value of the U.S. Dollar and its widespread use around the globe, it’s no surprise that it remains one of the top targets for counterfeiters worldwide. As a business operating in the United States, you cannot afford to ignore the prevalence of counterfeit currency and need to take steps to protect yourself against it.

  • The Cost of Counterfeit Currency

    The total cost of counterfeiting is estimated to cost U.S. businesses over $220 billion each year. This figure includes not only counterfeit currency, but also the sale of counterfeit goods. While avenues of litigation are available to business owners to stop the sale of counterfeit goods, there is unfortunately no recourse to businesses that unwittingly accept counterfeit bills. It’s therefore vitally important to prevent your business from accepting any counterfeit bills and the loss associated with them - the best protection is Safescan’s range of advanced counterfeit detection equipment.

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  • Treasury Department Safeguards

    The U.S. Treasury Department is well aware of the efforts by counterfeiters to produce fake bills and takes great effort to design currency with multiple layers of security. Many of the security features embedded in U.S. currency are not apparent or visible to the naked eye. Security starts with the paper on which the bill is printed - a proprietary blend of cotton and linen that is calibrated to a specific thickness and weight. Additional security features are then built into each bill, including ultraviolet, magnetic, infrared, color, and holographic elements. The combination of these security features helps combat a variety of counterfeit practices including bill bleaching (in which a low-value bill has all printing removed with bleach and is then reprinted as a higher-value denomination).

  • Ultraviolet Detection

    Today’s state-of-the-art bills feature ultraviolet (UV) ink markings that contain fluorescent phosphors. These UV inks are invisible when viewed in normal daylight, but can be seen when placed under a UV light operating at a specific wavelength. Safescan’s range of specialized UV detectors, like the Safescan 50 and 70, allow you to manually verify UV marks and determine authenticity. The 2200 and 2600 series of Safescan bill counters also include UV sensors to help guard against counterfeits.

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  • Magnetic Detection

    The magnetic signature of a bill is one of its key security features. The multi-colored ferromagnetic ink used in U.S. currency is undetectable to the naked eye. Additionally, metallic threads are intentionally woven into the fabric of bills in pre-determined patterns and locations. Inferior counterfeit detectors may not be able to guard against the more sophisticated fakes in circulation. To protect your business from these advanced counterfeits, a high-end solution like the Safescan 185-S Automatic Counterfeit Detector or the 2600 Series bill counters is necessary. These machines are equipped with specialized sensors that can identify and verify the magnetic signature of each bill.

  • Spectrum Analysis

    Each U.S. bill contains an intricate pattern of imagery, texts and characters printed in colored inks that are highly complex and distinctive. While counterfeiters are able to closely replicate these patterns, advanced scanning technology, like that used in the Safescan 185-S Automatic Counterfeit Detector, can detect even the smallest of deviations from the known pattern. This technology scans bills using sophisticated spectrum sensors and compares them with known stored images. The result is immediate and reliable authentication that prevents your business from accepting counterfeits.

  • Fast, Reliable Performance

    Safescan’s 185-S Automatic Counterfeit Detector is designed for use at busy points of sale where speed in handling transactions is critical. In less than a second, the 185-S will scan and verify the authenticity of a bill. The 185-S is equipped with additional internal sensors that allow users to insert bills in any of four directions (face up or face down, right side or left side first). Busy employees at the point of sale no longer need to waste valuable time trying to flip and properly align bills prior to inserting them into the machine.

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  • What About The Superdollar?

    As security features and counterfeit detection technology have improved, so has the technology used to create forgeries. A prime example of this improvement is the “Superdollar”. This high-quality forgery of the $100 bill likely first entered circulation in the late 1980’s and has continued to evolve and become more sophisticated. The most recent versions of Superdollars are virtually impossible to tell apart from real currency – but Safescan’s 185-S, 2885-S and 2985-SX are all able to detect Superdollars and prevent their acceptance.

  • System Updates

    To curb counterfeiting, the U.S. Treasury Department constantly seeks new ways to improve bills and make them more secure. Safescan works closely with major central banks around the world – as changes to bills are announced, Safescan’s engineers create updates for our detection firmware. These updates are made available for free on our website and can be easily downloaded and installed via USB port or microSD card port on the back of the machine.