How to Use an LED to Detect Counterfeit Money

Counterfeiting falls under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service. Counterfeit money is made using today's new photographic and printing machines. There are ways to detect counterfeit bills including magnetic detection, magnifying detection, watermark detection and lighted reflection. Here are ways to use an LED to detect counterfeit money.

Instructions

1. Run the money through a UV Counterfeit Detector or bill counter. Features in the bill will light up in a yellowish-green color to indicate that the money is real when scanned by the LED. If it isn't, the machine will sound an alarm or a light will go off to note that the bill is counterfeit.

2. Use a UV light flashlight. Shine the flashlight on the bill. Real money is on paper that is dull in appearance. Counterfeit money is sometimes on UV bright paper and it appears more illuminated under the LED.

3. Check the money for watermarks or other characters. Real money absorbs UV light so the marks or characters printed in fluorescent ink will show though. If the UV light reflects, the money is counterfeit.

4. Look for excess ink on the bill. Counterfeit money may have loose toner splattered around the edges of the images on the bill. These will show under the LED.

5. Move the LED around the bill to check for additional images not common to real bills. If a color copier or printer made the counterfeit bill, it left an image on the surface of the bill that the light detects.