Currency Redesign Deters Counterfeits: Cummins Allison Highlights What Your Business Needs To Know About The New $100 Bills

In recent years, the United States government redesigned multiple banknotes in order to curb counterfeiting and make it harder for criminal organizations and unscrupulous individuals to forge U.S. bills. As Cummins Allison, the leading innovator and provider of coin, currency and check handling solutions, explains, government officials are always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of those trying to produce counterfeit U.S. currency.

New Security Features Aim to Deter Counterfeits
The latest currency designs include more advanced security features that will allow retailers, grocers, businesses and consumers to ensure their bills are legitimate and avoid the problems associated with counterfeit notes. The newly designed $100 bills will be introduced on October 8, 2013 and its design carries several features that aim to make it harder to print bills that will pass as real U.S. currency. A 3D security ribbon features bells that change to read "100s" when moved back and forth. This ribbon, which is woven into the currency, rather than printed on it, is one of the first things workers at retail and grocery businesses should look for when checking the validity of a bill. Similarly, the redesigned $100 bills also features a bell inside an inkwell, and when the bill is tilted, this bell changes from copper to green.

Besides innovations that allow people to determine the validity of a bill by looking at it from multiple angles, the new currency also offers a variety of other security options that are difficult to forge. A portrait watermark, raised printing, security thread and microprinting all offer banks and businesses alternative ways to determine if a note is valid.

Forgeries Still Present 
While the U.S. government has attempted to thwart groups that counterfeit American money, they can never completely deter those who are determined to accurately fake U.S. currency. Criminal organizations are still trying to find ways to forge bills by taking advantage of consumers' lack of knowledge of the new banknote security components or trying out new methods to fake these anti-forgery features.

It's important for retailers, grocers and businesses that deal with a great deal of cash each day to be able to tell the difference between real and cleverly counterfeited bills. However, even knowledgeable individuals can be fooled by an accurately faked note. A currency counting machine with the ability to detect forgeries is essential for an operation that handles cash on a daily basis. Having the right technology on hand can ensure that no counterfeit currency is infiltrating a cash room and being redistributed to customers.

Ensure Your Equipment is Up-to-Date
To avoid any operational interruptions, retailers, grocers and businesses should ensure their currency counting equipment is able to process the new $100 bills now – not after the bill is introduced. Upgrading existing Cummins Allison equipment can usually be done simply and efficiently. For example, Cummins Allison JetScan customers can order a Do- It- Yourself kit via the web to quickly and easily upgrade their JetScan one-and two-pocket currency counting machines.

With the introduction of the newly designed $100 bills it is also an opportune time for organizations to replace outdated currency counting equipment that is slow or jams too often. Cummins Allison has made it easier than ever to deploy the industry’s fastest, most reliable money counters. By preparing now, companies can take advantage of Cummins Allison’s special JetScan iFX promotion to trade in competitive equipment or upgrade existing solutions. For more information, visit http://www.cumminsallison.com/us/en/jetscan-ifx-trade-up-promo-2013.

About Cummins Allison
Cummins Allison is a global leader in developing technologies which count, sort and authenticate currency. The U.S.-based company has a 125-year heritage of leadership in technology and product innovation and currently serves the majority of financial institutions worldwide, as well as leading organizations in retail, casinos, law enforcement and government. The company holds more than 350 U.S. patents and has ongoing research and development (R&D) investments double the industry average. Cummins Allison is headquartered near Chicago, IL with R&D centers near San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA and wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and France. The company also has an extensive sales and service network with more than 50 offices in North America and is represented in over 70 countries. For more information, visit cumminsallison.com.