OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Nebraska may be miles apart from Nevada, but retailers and law enforcement in both states are fighting a common enemy; counterfeiters. It's a problem costing business owners and the government billions of dollars each year.


In Nebraska last week, a man purchased money orders with $6,000 worth of counterfeit bills. In Las Vegas, where cash is exchanged on a second-by-second basis, casino operators have an obvious interest in making sure the money they're holding is real. "You can take a $100 bill and determine in one second that you are not taking a bad bill," says Jim Baker, Director of Cage & Credit Operations at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.


How can Baker and other casino executives tell? By using a product being marketed by an Omaha, Nebraska company. The Counterfeit Cop(TM) (www.counterfeitcop.com) is a device that detects fraudulent bills, checks and other documents. It was developed in 1996 by two retired CIA agents following the U.S. Treasury's introduction of its redesigned currency.


The Omaha-based Counterfeit Cop, LLC is marketing the device around the world. "Retailers and gaming destinations tend to be especially vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters," says Terrel Beckwith, president of Counterfeit Cop LLC. Customers of the Omaha, Nebraska-based company include casinos, check cashing stores, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, government agencies, grocery stores, nightclubs and retail shops.


At The Palms in Las Vegas, Baker adds, "We just started using the Counterfeit Cop in the cage and have conducted training with our team. We are starting to insist that our people use the Counterfeit Cop and feel we can help prevent fraud by enforcing its use. The Cop is especially good at confirming whether currency is real or not."


The Counterfeit Cop is also being used by small business owners across America. Saundra Darrah, owner of Darrah's Diamond Shamrock, a gas station and convenience store in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has one. She says The Counterfeit Cop(TM) serves as another layer of protection for her, "There has been a lot of counterfeit money going through Council Bluffs this year. Now we are scanning all of the $20s because there are so many fake ones right now."


Source: Counterfeit Cop, LLC

CONTACT: Terrel Beckwith, tbeckwith@wrightandw.com or Darcy Michalek
+1-402-593-0600, ext. 354, both of Counterfeit Cop, LLC


Web site: http://www.counterfeitcop.com/