Can UV Light Detect Fake Money?

Counterfeit currencies have always been that big issue which the government and even business people have to deal. 

And hence many discoveries have been made to prevent it, out of which some are foolproof while others are not. UV light is one such step taken in order to avoid the circulation of fake money. 

UV light detects fake currencies and fake IDs, bills, passports, credit cards, and it is also used in money detector machine. And hence, UV light is a great option when it comes to catching fraud. 

In this article, we will discuss the question of whether UV light can detect fake money and get into the details of how the process takes place and the mechanism of it all! 


Can UV Light Detect Fake Money?

Money detector is used to check fake currency
The Process of Using UV Lights to Detect Fake Money

Now, placing the currencies under UV light is not the only simple method that revolves around counterfeit detection! This whole process undergoes a two-fold method which we will be discussing in detail. 

Every bank not features Ultra Violet ink, that can’t be seen with naked eyes.

When the banknotes is placed under UV light, those UV inks tend to utilize UV-fluorescent phosphors and becomes visible.

The special thing about these UV ink is that although they produce different reactions when placed under UV light.

When observed under normal lighting, you can barely see a tint of the Ultra Violet ink. None of that special ink is visible.

Now you may have thought about one question by now. The frauds can easily use UV ink to make fake money, then what? 

Well, to answer this question, we would like to let you know that UV features are greatly valued as a prevention method because they use materials that are quite highly volatile.

And if used by counterfeiters who are inexperienced, they can easily get corrupted when used in combination with inks and digital printers that are commercially available. 

However, if the same thing is done by experienced counterfeiters who use professional printers that are quite a high volume and utilize inks that are quite expensive along with other costly Printing equipment, only then can a fake currency match a real one and be hard to distinguish from the former one. 


Advantages of Using a UV Light Counterfeit Detector

There are many advantages of using a UV light counterfeit detector, some of which we will be listed below. These advantages make the UV Light Counterfeit detectors a valuable option for large-scale businesses and retail shops since they are quite affordable. 

UV light is passed to detect fake money

They are easy to use. What else would be required in a UV light than just placing the currency under it and checking whether the hidden UV ink reacts and becomes visible.
There are other security features too that are well known to the person handling such devices.
They are not at all expensive. The UV counterfeit detectors are inexpensive, which adds to the reasons UV light detectors should be introduced at every place of eminence.
It is quite reliable and cannot be destroyed that easily.
The UV light is an approach that is quite practical for most businesses, mostly the smaller ones, for which affording a high level and expensive security, is difficult.

While there are advantages, there are certain drawbacks as well of using UV light detectors. Many of the businesses do not introduce these counterfeit detectors in their field because the method relies entirely on transaction-level employees like the tellers and cashiers. 


Due to Poor Eyesight, Training, or Intentional Oversight

These businessmen believe that detecting fake money or employing proper methods of preventing such circulation of fake currencies is not entirely possible by such employees.

Moreover, while creating a fake note with the same security features is quite difficult, some counterfeit notes can pass detection. 

To sum it all up in our discussion, we hope we were able to answer your question and provide more information on the topic. Since counterfeit currencies and frauds go hand in hand, knowing ways to detect them becomes helpful over time. 

We went deep into the question of whether UV light detects fake currencies and other fake documents like passports or IDs. We even mentioned the advantages of using UV light and the drawbacks that they can have, along with the reason why many business people prefer not using them. 

We hope you found this article useful, and if you did, please do not hesitate to share it with your friends or acquaintances.

Avatar for Jaren Helms

Jaren worked for over a decade in the industry as a Package Handler. He started his career with FedEx but he later also worked with companies like USPS and Deutsche Post.

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