There are many scammers in this world. And some of the most inconspicuous and at the same time malicious are counterfeiters. Their activities lead to numerous losses and inconveniences. To avoid unpleasant moments, you need to know how to check the money for authenticity, which we will do in the framework of this article.
general information
Usually in large quantities only high-quality counterfeit banknotes are produced. But to calculate a good fake, having the necessary information, is still not a problem. Since the advent of money, there has been a confrontation between those who issue them officially and the so-called counterfeiters. Modern banknotes have such sophisticated security features that most of them can be verified using a special technique.
There is constantly a need to verify the authenticity of banknotes in the absence of a person (for example, in a payment terminal), therefore, automated methods are constantly being improved. The article will focus on manual methods. First you need to know the definition of the authenticity of money. This is the name of funds that are manufactured outside authorized government agencies, in violation of accepted procedures and means of protection. So how to check money for authenticity?
Without technology
Money has a large number of protective mechanisms. But not all security elements can be considered digitally, and for a number of others there are no exact criteria. The most accurate examination is considered an expert, that is, an ordinary person with the knowledge and experience that anyone can become. The number of human-readable features of this bill is constantly growing. Here are the most popular:
- Watermark. This is a special pattern that is created by changing the density of individual parts of the paper. Well viewed in the light. Watermarks on banknotes are perhaps the most well-known authentication method.
- Security thread. This is a special tape made of metal or polymer material that is implanted in paper. Can use simple and diving threads. A feature of the second is that it comes out of the paper and plunges into it.
- Micro printing. A very small special symbol that can only be seen using a magnifying glass.
- Protective fibers. They are flaps of threads of different colors and embedded in paper. May be simple or woven.
Other human symptoms
Here are some more ways to verify money for authenticity:
- Microperforation. This implies the presence of special holes of a very small size, which make a laser in the process of making money. Of these, an inscription or drawing is made up. Holes can be viewed into the light. An indicator of quality is the inability to feel the relief around them, as well as the absence of traces of carbonization.
- Relief print. These are special inscriptions and drawings, they can be distinguishable by touch. Printing is used not only to protect, but also to help the blind in choosing the face value of a banknote.
- Kipp effect. This is a separate corrugated area on paper, on the god faces of which a special drawing is applied. It is easy to distinguish it only during inspection at a certain angle.
- Hologram. A three-dimensional holographic image that rotates when the bill tilts.
Lesser known symptoms
And here's how you can verify money for authenticity if you train this skill:
- Combining images. In fact, this is a special drawing in which the constituent elements are located on opposite sides of the bill. But if you look at it in the light, then they will coincide, forming one whole.
- Oryol seal. By this name is meant a collection of thin lines that change color without visible interruptions in printing and overlaying inks. It should be noted that a similar effect cannot be achieved by conventional multicolor printing.
- Foil stamping. A drawing made using this material, layered on a bill.
- Special moire stripes. They possess different colors, if you tilt the banknote.
- Optical variable paint. Changes the spectrum of the displayed waves, depending on the viewing angle.
Here's how to check the bills for authenticity, without having any complex technical equipment.
Machine Readable Tags
This is a number of characteristics and features of banknotes, on the basis of which machines make a decision on whether they have genuine notes or not.
- Banknote size. Dimensions of notes cannot be considered as a protective sign. Nevertheless, many detectors check this parameter first. Due to this, they reject scraps of bills, foreign objects or simply stacked money. This feature helps to recognize a specific currency and its denomination. The optical method and scanning in light are used to determine the size.
- Visible image. The external image of the bill is scanned in a special light. The disadvantage of machines is that they do not check the entire surface, but only certain areas. Although to correct this drawback can use photodetector lines.
Work with light and fields
More ways to determine authenticity.
- Infrared image. This is one of the main characteristics. When bills are printed, metameric paints are used for them. And under infrared lighting, light and dark objects in the image are clearly visible. Also, in the IR machine, it can recognize protective tapes, metallized elements, watermarks, for example, the emblem of the Bank of Russia. Infrared lighting allows you to determine the optical density of the paper, which is used as a sign of authenticity.
- UV tags. They are applied by phosphors. They can only be seen under ultraviolet light. Phosphors are coated with protective fibers. During the check, you must also monitor the paper. If it does not have a background glow, then this also serves as proof that the bill is genuine.
- Magnetic marks. Paint is applied to the bills. But not ordinary, but special, with magnetic characteristics. Tags are divided into soft and hard. The former lose their magnetic properties after the external field is turned off, while the hard ones retain this characteristic for a long time.
Special items
These are quite interesting, unusual and little-known defense mechanisms.
- Special element "AND". It is an anti-Stokes phosphor. Its feature is that it can emit a glow. The wavelength exceeds the exciting radiation.
- Special element "M". Its specificity is the absorption coefficient in different areas of the infrared spectrum, which is distinctive from most similar types of paints. That is, if you illuminate a bill covered with this substance with a different light, you will get the impression that the element is blinking.
- Secret signs. A number of characteristics that are used to determine authenticity. They are kept secret in order to complicate the life of counterfeiters. Symptoms can only be verified by the Central Bank.
Cash check
Let's say we have a 5000 bill. And it was decided to check it out. Suddenly it turned out that there was no definite protection. What to do? Is everything so bad? It is too early to draw premature conclusions. If there is no one or even several complex defenses, then this still does not mean anything. It can be erased over time, or the inspector has too little experience for a quality audit. To verify this, just go to the nearest payment terminal and send it to your bank account. If everything happened without problems, the nerves were wasted. Therefore, a 5000 bill or any other can be very real. If the Bank of Russia ticket has not been accepted, this is already problematic. You should contact the police with a statement, remember all the details of a banknote falling into your hands. After all, it remains to be seen how many such tickets of the Bank of Russia are being prepared for reset.
Artisanal method
So this article comes to its logical conclusion, in the framework of which it was examined how to check money for authenticity. The case of counterfeiting itself, of course, causes condemnation. But in the end I would like to talk about boasting. There is an opinion that it is impossible to make money identical to the official ones in a handicraft way. Despite this, the American currency has been faked for some time by someone Omega. How do we know that these are fakes? The fact is that Omega products are identical to the banknotes issued by the US Treasury. With one small exception: the letters Omega are always located in the inner space R in the word dollaR.