Australian businesses use blue-light scanners as counterfeit cash seizures surge

Australian businesses are increasingly using blue-light scanners to detect counterfeit cash after the Australian Border Force reported a surge in fake currency imports, with 700 detections worth $6 million in the past financial year, over 50 times the previous year's figure. Illawarra business owners Calvin Gorsuch and Adrian Erdedi both encountered fake $100 notes last weekend, with Gorsuch's scanner catching one and Erdedi discovering another during a till count. Erdedi said local traders reported similar incidents, including fake $20 notes, and noted the counterfeit quality was highly realistic. The ABF warned of a "concerning improvement" in fake note quality, with polymer-based counterfeits feeling genuine to the touch. Producing fake banknotes carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence, and the Reserve Bank advises that counterfeits hold no value, meaning scammed businesses face unreimbursed losses amid cost-of-living pressures.