Bleached-Genuine Counterfeit
Definition
A counterfeit produced by chemically removing the printed design from a genuine lower-denomination note and reprinting it as a higher denomination; passes substrate-based field tests because the cotton-linen substrate is authentic.
- Substrate
- Genuine cotton-linen note stock, chemically stripped of ink
- Defeats
- UV fluorescence and touch/feel substrate checks
- Typical direction
- Low denomination bleached, reprinted as higher denomination
- Detection route
- Microscopy of ink layering, security thread/watermark mismatch to claimed value
Common questions
Why do standard field tests miss this counterfeit type?+
Field pens and UV lamps mainly check the paper substrate for starch content or fluorescence. Because the substrate is genuine currency paper, it passes those checks; the fraud lives in the reprinted design, not the paper, so substrate-only screening gives a false pass.
What evidence exposes a bleached-genuine note in the lab?+
Examiners compare the watermark, security thread position, and embedded fibres against the denomination the note claims to be. Since these features were fixed when the original low-value note was made, they mismatch the higher printed value, and residual bleaching chemicals or ink-layer disruption are visible under magnification and IR imaging.
Related terms
- 365 Nm UV Lamp
- A long-wave ultraviolet lamp used to examine substrate fluorescence, security thread UV response, and UV-reactive features on banknotes; genuine cotton-linen substrate appears...
- 3D Surface Profilometry
- A non-contact optical measurement technique used to quantify the topographic height (Z-height) of intaglio ink ridges; genuine MGNS intaglio measures 15-40 micrometres;...
- Counterfeit Currency Database (CCD)
- The US Secret Service's classification registry of counterfeit production signatures, assigning class codes to each distinct printing-process and denomination combination detected in...
- CVPC (Currency Verification Processing Centre)
- An RBI-designated facility in India where banks submit suspect notes for initial authentication and classification before forensic referral.
- FTIR Spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared)
- A non-destructive analytical technique that measures infrared absorption as a function of wavenumber, producing a spectrum diagnostic of the chemical functional groups...
- Iodine-Starch Test
- The chemical basis of the counterfeit-detector pen: iodine reacts with starch in wood-pulp paper to form a dark blue-black complex, while genuine...
- Raman Spectroscopy
- A non-destructive laser-based technique sensitive to molecular vibration modes in pigments; complements FTIR by characterising pigment molecular structure rather than bulk ink...
- SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Analysis)
- A technique combining high-resolution surface imaging with elemental composition analysis; used to compare metallic-flake elemental ratios in OVI ink and to measure...
- Supernote
- A high-quality counterfeit capable of passing casual field examination; originally applied to US $100 counterfeits attributed to state-sponsored production with genuine cotton-linen...