Re: Canon copiers

[Martin Janzen <janzen@idacom.hp.com>]

Hal Finney writes:
>The thing that makes me skeptical about this copier story is this:  the
>money could have any orientation and position on the page.  [...]

Yes.  But the thing that makes _me_ skeptical is that there are many kinds
of currency in the world besides the US dollar.  A counterfeiter could simply
copy a stack of bills that aren't in the copier's database (eg. one of the
new currencies issued by countries that were part of the former Soviet
Union), then head on down to the nearest foreign exchange office.

>However, there is another possibility, which is to look at hte color of
>the bills.

This wouldn't do the job either.  Our Canadian bills, for instance, come
in a different color for each denomination.  Bills from New Zealand and
Thailand, among others, come in a range of colors _and_ sizes.  So your
copier would have to have quite the database...

And what about changes?  The Canadian mint has been altering a number of
bills to add better security features.  Any color copier owners out there
receive mysterious, unsolicited "preventative maintenance" visits lately?

>In short, I'm pretty sure that there is a lot of disinformation going around
>designed to scare people away from trying it.

Agreed.  I think we can put an end to _this_ thread, at least!

-- 
Martin Janzen           janzen@idacom.hp.com