NEW TECHNOLOGY DETECTS COUNTERFEITS

A much bigger issue still exists; "Supernotes." Those are counterfeit bills that are hard to detect. They are made using the same type of government printer, exerting 30 tons of pressure on real currency paper.

"It gives it a 3D feel," Carnegie Mellon researcher Pat Sweeney said as he showed us the latest technology that he's working on to help detect the fakes.

We traveled to Carnegie Mellon's CyLab in Pittsburgh, which is working on new technology to help the Secret Service crack down on the problem.

"You might pass most of the 80 percent features but you might fail the last 20, and we want to catch the last 20," said Yang Cai, the lead researcher on the project.

Cai and his team have developed technology and software to scan the money quickly to enter it into a data bank so that Secret Service investigators across the country can quickly track counterfeit bills.

They're also developing imaging software that can scan the surface structure of a bill to determine its authenticity, as well as color fading technology using a pinpoint laser to determine if the ink is government issue or not. If that doesn't do the trick, they're also working on a "money sniffer."

"Ink normally uses a solvent and solvent contains a volatile organic compound, and these chemicals have a way to emit those signatures," Cai said as the device was demonstrated to us.

The sniffer turns the information into a computer algorithm to determine whether or not the money is the real deal.

The project is receiving funding from the Secret Service and no wonder. When you consider there are more than $100 million worth of fake bills in circulation every year, fast paced technology that can detect what the eye cannot will help the Secret Service immensely. Eventually Cai and his team hope to have a portable electronic detection device for merchants and banks as well.

When can we expect this to roll out?

"About 2 years," Cai said optimistically.

To read the complete article, see: New technology detects counterfeits (www.11alive.com/CIA/196084/320/Tracking-the-Money)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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