Source: https://x.com/ronin19217435/status/1752164197364830245?s=20
Thumbnail: https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/MSD/Application-Notes/AN52531-forensic-analysis-paper-currency-ftir-microscopy.pdf & https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/9zcv6b/theres_an_alien_hidden_in_our_dollar_bills/
Confirming the authenticity of documents is so important to commercial trade, border security and law enforcement groups that these investigations represent a distinct branch of Forensic Science.
Questioned document specialists use a wide array of analytical techniques to assist in their investigations ranging from first-line visual
inspection tools to advanced chemical-specific analytical instrumentation. Visible light microscopy techniques are well suited for characterizing the printing techniques of individual characters and to look for evidence of alteration.
Imaging methods, often using various light sources and filter combinations, complement direct visual inspection to enhance comparisons to genuine articles.
The need for advanced chemical analysis to support forensic casework has become more important because of the complexity and sophistication of the fraudulent items.
Counterfeiting money is one of the oldest-known criminal activities and, as police are witnessing, criminals no longer need access to complex offset printing techniques to produce quality counterfeit notes. A reasonably high-quality photographic copier can produce very realistic counterfeit
currency. For example, the European Central Bank reported that approximately 600,000 individual Euro notes were detected and removed from circulation in each of the last three years.1 Not only do merchants and consumers need to stay alert for suspicious bills, but research and
development continue to improve detection methods for automated cash handling machines (e.g., vending, ATM – automated teller machine, bill counters, etc.).
High-performance laboratory instruments enable inspection of Questioned Documents, such as banknotes, to progress into the chemical domain, allowing detection and study of anomalies not observable by visual inspection alone. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) microscope, a mainstay
of the forensic laboratory, is exceptionally well suited for study of the inks, toners, and papers of fraudulent documents because it combines standard visible light microscopy with non-destructive molecular spectroscopy analysis. One instrument that combines several forensicrelevant techniques with excellent analysis software is the Thermo Scientificâ„¢ Nicoletâ„¢ iN10 FTIR Microscope.
The Nicolet iN10 Microscope combines standard color video inspection, polarized light, infrared transmission and
reflection spectroscopy, and micro-contact-mode sampling using attenuated total reflectance (ATR). Using these various
modes of chemical imaging inspection, investigators can undertake in-depth studies of paper currencies.
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