Counterfeit Prevention Measures In Modern Currency
By Devon Valenta
Over the past few decades, the international phenomenon of counterfeiting of modern currency has slowly acquired such alarming proportions that it has turned into a serious problem for Governments the world over. In order to control this international criminal activity and protect the currencies of their respective countries, Governments around the world have been effecting changes in their currency notes from time to time.

The worldwide increase in the incidence of the production of counterfeit currency is taking place owing to the availability and advent of new technology in the form of powerful consumer image editing software, high-resolution scanners and other necessary computer equipment at very low prices. Such technology has made it very easy for the counterfeiters to prepare duplications of the designs and images imprinted on the modern currency. Taking up the challenge of tackling the growing threat of counterfeit currency very seriously, the Governments around the globe are taking firm steps to both control as well as prevent such duplication. Here, we talk about some such measures that are being undertaken worldwide.

One such step taken by the US Government during the 1980s, was to issue bills of 20, 50 and 100-dollar denominations along with a security strip that was located on them from their top to bottom. These bills had their denominations clearly written on this security strip that was made of fluorescent plastic. It was quite easy to read the printed matter on this strip by holding the bills under a fluorescent light bulb. Despite this fact, however, the clearly written denominations turned out to be a hindrance for the counterfeiters in their efforts to 'upgrade' bills of lower denominations to those of higher denominations, something that they did by 'washing' the ink from the paper. On this paper, they reprinted the graphics of the bill with the help of the dye sub or laser printers.

Another method that the United States government has implemented is watermarking. The latest bills that have been issued by the treasury have images embedded in the currency’s paper. You can view this watermarked image by holding up the bill to a light source. The image in the watermark should match the image of the president on the bill. The $100 bill, for example, features the likeness of Benjamin Franklin in both the standard image and the watermark.

It must be mentioned here that the counterfeit currency of some denominations is, at times, produced with those images that are actually meant for

the bills of some other denominations. For instance, some counterfeit US currency in circulation internationally has $5-bills bearing the images that are actually meant for the $100-bill. Though such counterfeit bills have a very genuine look and feel, they can still be identified quite easily because it is not possible to bleach out the watermark, as is the case with the surface images. So, when the counterfeit $5-bills are held up against a source of light, they show up the image of former US President Lincoln in the watermark which is the actual image that should appear on all the bills of this denomination.

The third example of one of the latest preventive measures used internationally to control the production of counterfeit currency, is the use of special inks in printing the actual currency. Such inks help to show up different colours in the genuine currency notes when they are viewed from different angles. For instance, the same currency note that appears to be light green in colour when looked at from the left angle, seems to acquire a blackish hue instead of the earlier greenish one, when we look at it from the right angle. What makes this latest printing method extremely difficult to replicate for the counterfeiters, is the use of a special compound that they soon realize, is very hard 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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Devon Valenta is the webmaster and operator of Fone Currency, a web site which focuses on currency matters. For more information, go to: www.fonecurrency.com
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