Banknote forgery is becoming a major concern for many businesses and individuals alike. In recent times police have uncovered many counterfeiting rings working up and down the country. One group were convicted of conspiring to flood the UK with £50m in banknotes, and yet another investigation resulted in the largest ever haul of fake passports ever found in the UK covering 12 different countries including more than 200 fake British Passports, often considered too difficult to make!
An entire family and several family relatives and friends were convicted last year of counterfeiting £500,000 of Giro Cheques and Birth Certificates and police regularly warn shopkeepers to be vigilant following spates of forged notes suddenly appearing in an area. The usual ploy is to purchase low value items with £10 or £20 notes, so that most of the note’s value is converted into cash.
The Crime Reduction Advisor for part of Essex Police Constabulary, Chris West stated that there are some simple but effective measures retailers can take like ‘ investing in a Counterfeit Money Marker Pen. They are relatively cheap and can be easily found on the internet. The pens react to starch in the paper and leave a dark mark if the note is forged. UV Lamps are another good idea as forged money shows up bright white under the lamp.’
There are two types of Counterfeit Currency Detector Lamps, either battery operated or those connected to the mains. The battery types produce 4 watts of UV light from a single tube and run on 4 AA batteries. There is a small torch facility also provided so that you may also check the watermarking using the white light from the torch facility.
The mains operated versions (designed for retail outlets) offer a choice of 4 watt or even 12 watts of UV light. Some also include a white light built in to the base unit for checking watermarks and there is even one lamp, the Chaperone Multi-Function UV Lamp which not only has both black and white lights but also has a magnifying lens to assist checking the watermarks and micro lettering. This clever unit even has an Automatic ON/Off facility to help conserve energy and lamp life.
One final point is to remember that it isn’t only money that is forged, many illegal immigrants also provide forged birth certificates/passports or driving licences etc. and these lamps help identify these too!
