Counterfeit Detectors A Holiday Must for Retailers

Halloween is over and the holiday season is upon us.  This means retailers should expect large increases in the number of cash transactions seen coming across their counters. An increase in cash transactions means increased opportunities for someone attempting to pass counterfeit bills.  Unless businesses have a counterfeit money detector at the transaction counter - in conjunction with appropriate cash handling techniques and sufficient staff training - they may be susceptible to unscrupulous counterfeiters.

Counterfeit money detectors are simple and easy to operate.  There are several types to choose from depending upon the volume of cash being handled,number of  transaction locations and budget.  One thing we have cautioned on in past posts, and will continue to caution cash handlers about, is that relying mainly on visual inspection and a counterfeit detection pen is not a good idea.  It only leads to a reliance on the skill of your lowest paid employees' ability to know the security measures inherent in U.S. currency and to act appropriately in every instance.

With a counterfeit money detector on your counter all of the guess work is taken out.  The machines can identify and reveal specific security features in each bill and gives the user a yes or no answer.  In other words, there is no guessing, either the bill is real or it is not.

Ultra Violet Counterfeit Money Detectors

UV counterfeit money detectors work by shining an ultraviolet light onto a bill to reveal the covert security measures imprinted or woven in to U.S. currency.  They are scanning and looking for the special inks that are embedded into the bills that only appear under ultra violet light.  These features are referred to as "covert" because they are not visible to the naked eye and only appear under ultra violet light.

UV counterfeit money detectors also work on verifying ID cards.  If your business accepts credit applications for store charges or cell phones or other services, the UV illumination of the counterfeit money detector can also work to reveal the hidden security features of many state or federal ID cards, thereby verifying the authenticity of the identification presented.

Cost Effective Solutions

There are several low cost and effective solutions available for any organization.  The most popular is FraudFighter counter top Model UV-16 that allows you to place the bill inside the detector.  The process is so quick, within seconds, the highlighted security features become readily visible.  Smaller than the proverbial bread box, these detectors take up very little room at your point of sale.

Additionally, we feature the compact FraudFighter Model POS15 that can be affixed under a counter or along a vertical surface.  The small footprint and under counter mounting frees up your POS counter top completely; leaving room to display impulse items while providing the security you need from a counterfeit money detector.

If you have a situation where power is not readily available, such as at a kiosk or the front door of a night club or other outdoor venue, there is a portable, hand held model that quickly and easily scans money, IDs, checks and other documents for authentic UV security measures.

Finally, if those choices weren't enough, there is a low cost, economical and compact unit that is highly effective for any business owner when cost is a concern.  These units are so cost effective you may want to place a unit at each and every POS in your store.

With the holidays coming up, and this year looks like it will be better than the previous year, and with a greater number of cash transactions, having a counterfeit money detector available to your staff will protect your hard earned profits by eliminating counterfeit bills being passed to your employees.