Making the Case for Ultraviolet Counterfeit Detectors

For as long as governing bodies have released official documents and notes, counterfeiting has been an accompanying issue. This deceptive practice dates all the way back to ancient Rome, when counterfeiters would actually shave small flecks of gold and silver off of coins in order to make their own money. In this perpetual game of cat-and-mouse, it often seems like counterfeiters are always able to stay one step ahead of countermeasures. 

Those days may just be coming to an end. Governments and corporations around the world have, in the last 25 years, begun to imprint security threads, watermarks, and even images onto official documents that are only visible under an ultraviolet light source. Security agencies, organizations, and companies can then use an ultraviolet counterfeit detector to examine such documents in order to verify their authenticity. With this technology already having been widely implemented in the printing of currency, passports, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, and even casino chips, the potential applications for counterfeit security detectors are virtually limitless.

The Benefits That Detectors Can Offer

Why should one consider incorporating the use such devices into his or her security protocols? Here are just a few reasons:

• Accuracy: The specially-designed ultraviolet inks used in security printing are extremely difficult to replicate using standard printing technology. Thus, a detector using the correct UV wavelength can distinguish a forgery with great accuracy.
• Ease of use: Advanced training is not needed in order to instruct store-level personnel on how to use the detector. One simply needs to hold the document under the light and examine it. If the cashier or teller sees the corect fluorescent security feature, the document is more than likely not a fake.
• Costs: Even the most advanced UV detectors cost less than $100. This means that, as soon as your store prevents a single counterfeit $100 bill from being accepted, you will already be "in the black" and on your way to the amazing return-on-investment so many of our customers tell us they experience.

Given the potential risks that counterfeited documents and currency can pose to both the clients of private companies and the general public as a whole, organizations must ask themselves if they are fully prepared to combat them. If their security measures do not include ultraviolet counterfeit detectors, the answer to that question is a resounding “No!”

With the success that these devices have already demonstrated in the field, it might be time for the security world at large to fully embrace them.

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