Counterfeit Corner
Do you want to hear about an actual counterfeiting case? Well, here is your chance! The High Security Printing (HSP) Conference Asia is taking place in Sri Lanka, 4-6 December 2023. Register now for what will prove to be a most interesting Counterfeit Workshop, entitled ‘Operation Timerbrier – A Counterfeiters’ Fall from Glory’.
A father and son team, Christopher and Jordan Gaunt, were sentenced in December 2022 after pleading guilty to manufacturing £977,000 worth of counterfeit banknotes. This is their story.
Learn how these counterfeiters used Dearneside Press, a legitimate printing business, to manufacture counterfeit Scottish paper banknotes. The counterfeit banknotes were printed at the shop, then taken to the son’s house to simulate all the security features.
Three boxes of evidence were submitted for examination after the raid on both properties, but there was more to come. Sheets of counterfeit banknotes, inks, stamps, rolls of used and unused foil, dies for hot foil stamping machine, genuine pattern banknotes, crime scene photos, and computer files/images had to all be linked together for the six different counterfeit banknotes. Holograms, windowed threads, and UV patterns were simulated on UV dull paper.
Amongst all the evidence was a huge surprise that Mr Gaunt could not refute. A mammoth task, but it was all worth it!
This workshop will immerse you in the counterfeiter’s criminal world, where innovation is critical to creating a superior product. Some of the actual evidence will be displayed to enhance the storytelling adventure. This proved to be a fantastic case that the banknote industry can learn a great deal from.
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