Well, what do you know! It’s true, a printer really can help to catch counterfeiter money makers, just like Xerox and others claimed when they were caught having their printers secretly embed machine identification codes on every document printed by a printer.

Of course, this printer’s role in catching the bad guys had nothing to do with subterfuge, secret machine codes, or anything so forward thinking. Nope.

This is the tale of a ring making counterfeit money in Arizona. They had a sweet deal going - they would print the money, then use it to purchase items at Wal-mart, where two of their accomplices worked. They would make a point of always going through their accomplice’s checkout line, purchase their items with the counterfeit money, and then return the items for cash. (I wonder if they ever got back their own phony money?)

But then the printer tripped them up…

[Continue reading Printer Helps Catch Counterfeit Money Ring]

[tags]printer,internet patrol,aunty spam,counterfeit money,machine identification codes[/tags]