How Counterfeit Money Pens Work

According to the United States Department of Treasury, between $70 and $200 Million worth of counterfeit bills are currently in circulation with fake $20 bills accounting for around 60% of that. That means for every 10,000 genuine bills there is at least one counterfeit. With the help of CONTROLTEK’s counterfeit detection devices, you can proactively work against this trend and identify suspect bills quickly and more accurately. Whether you are handling large amounts of cash in the vault or smaller amounts at the teller station, CONTROLTEK has a solution. 

The science behind a counterfeit money pen is simple. Authentic bills are made of fiber-based paper. Because today’s counterfeiters are just trying to create passable copies of money, they usually use normal paper, which is made of wood. A counterfeit money pen contains an iodine solution that reacts with the starch in wood-based paper to create a black stain. When applied to authentic bills, the solution does not discolor the note. 

Though real money comes with various security features to prove its authenticity, one of the most reliable methods to tell if a bill is real or fake is with counterfeit detection tools. Counterfeit money pens are an affordable and simple way to check if a banknote is authentic, and since it is small and easy to store, employees who work front of house, like cashiers, can use them without slowing down business.