Magnetic ink in banknotes may make forgery detection easier

London, June 10 : Experts associated with UK military research company Qinetiq have come up with a new idea for detecting counterfeit currency notes just by folding them.

They say that it may be possible if magnetic inks are used in a document, such as a banknote, with alternating polarity.

All that a person would have to do to test the authenticity of a banknote would be to fold and rub it, which would enable him/her to feel alternate attraction and repulsion as the inks move past each other.

The experts say that the sensation would make a smooth piece of paper feel rippled.

They believe that the technology could work on anything from passports to legal letters, report New Scientist magazine.

Most anti-counterfeiting techniques use visual cues like watermarks or holograms. Sometimes machine-readable features, such as markings that become visible under ultraviolet light, are also used.

The Qinetiq experts believe that a touch-based system may have manifold advantages over such visual clues, especially when it comes to aiding the visually impaired.

They, however, have not said anything as to how easy or difficult it would be for fraudsters to copy this system.

ANI