Can science beat counterfeit detector pens? | Reactions Science Videos - American Chemical Society (2024)

FAQs

How effective is the counterfeiting detecting pen? ›

Basically, the only counterfeit bills which a counterfeit detector pen will detect are those printed on regular wood-based printer paper. And it does not even detect those 100 percent of the time, since there are easy chemical solutions to get around the pen detection test.

Counterfeit detection pens are not always accurate and may give you false results. To learn about these and other security features in genuine Federal Reserve notes, visit the U.S. Currency Education Program website.

These pens can only indicate whether the note is printed on the wrong kind of paper (they simply react to the presence of starch). As such, they will catch some counterfeits, but they won't detect more sophisticated fakes and will give false-negatives on real money that is been through the wash.

A counterfeit pen reacts to the starch found in most types of paper. Genuine U.S. currency is printed on paper that does not have starch. Therefore, if the bill is genuine, the ink will turn yellow and if it's fake, the ink will turn black or dark blue.

Look for Raised Printing

“One of the most difficult aspects of an authentic banknote for counterfeiters to reproduce is the raised printing,” Fain says. “To detect it, all you need to do is run your fingernail slowly and carefully down the note.

Can I use a detector pen to check whether a note is genuine? No – detector pens don't spot counterfeits printed on polymer.

The $20 note includes an embedded security thread that glows green when illuminated by UV light. When held to light, a portrait watermark of President Jackson is visible from both sides of the note.The note includes a color-shifting numeral 20 in the lower right corner of the note.

The easiest way to find out whether or not the bill is fake is to buy a cheap and easy to use pen. If you mark the bill and it's real, the mark is yellow or clear. If the mark turns dark brown or black, then you know the bill is fake.

No, Dri Mark counterfeit detector pens only work to detect the linen/cotton blend that only US currency is printed on.

A counterfeit banknote detection pen is a pen used to apply an iodine-based ink to banknotes in an attempt to determine their authenticity. The ink reacts with starch in wood-based paper to create a black or blue mark but the paper in a real bill contains no starch, so the pen mark remains unchanged.

What does hairspray do to fake money? ›

However, the same effect can be accomplished by using hairspray on commonly used papers since it will create an invisible barrier between the starch and iodine from the pen. Because the pen is only checking for starch, it results in a false approval of a counterfeit note.

These pens are filled with an iodine solution, usually something like potassium iodine to help the non-polar iodine dissolve in water. If you swipe them on a piece of regular non-currency paper, which contains starch, it leaves behind a dark mark, and that is it.

Yes, there are free apps available for checking the authenticity of a note. One such app is "Counterfeit Money Detector" which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

The marks from the counterfeit pens typically disappear after 24-36 hours. After a day or two you will never know that they were marked (unless perhaps, you looked at them under a UV light).

Security Thread All genuine FRNs, except the $1 and $2, have a clear thread embedded vertically in the paper. The thread is inscribed with the denomination of the note and is visible only when held to light. Each denomination has a unique thread position and glows a different color when held to ultraviolet (UV) light.

Detector Pen

When applied; detector pens leave a dark line on most counterfeit notes; if the note is genuine the pen leaves no mark. We recommend that you mark a suspect banknote diagonally from corner to corner.