In January 2011 we released CarSure, a currency-level reader that can authenticate documents through glass. CarSure uses InkSure's signature taggant technology, technology that has been protecting high-value documents for over a decade.

We market this reader to suppliers of government documents as a way to improve motor vehicle law enforcement. By giving law enforcement officials the ability to authenticate documents through glass, it is easier to find counterfeit vehicle registration stickers, safety inspection certificates and other documents often attached to the inside of car windows.

We have been told over and over again that governments do not have money for such anti-counterfeiting programs right now. - Several governments in North America and Europe are near-bankruptcy and have no cash to spend on new programs. However we think CarSure or technology like it is needed very badly and could actually help governments generate revenue.

Last week police in Biddeford, Maine arrested four people for printing counterfeit safety inspection stickers and have ticketed 105 drivers for attaching the fake stickers to their cars. Police only caught 105 drivers, but there are probably thousands of drivers who purchased these counterfeit stickers.

The Economics of a Government Anti-Counterfeiting Program

We can assume that thousands of drivers in Biddeford have purchased counterfeit safety stickers. The stickers cost $12.50 each. That means that for every 1000 people that buy a counterfeit sticker $1,250 is lost to the state. But that is just the beginning of the anti-counterfeiting program…

Let's not forget the reason governments require safety inspections. Governments mandate safety inspections in order to keep motorists safe. According to the story, the people buying the counterfeit stickers were trying to get out of paying for car repairs. Unsafe cars on the road put all motorists at risk. Our guess is that at least some of these cars with counterfeit safety inspection stickers caused car accidents. Car Accidents often result in injuries and deaths which cause lost productivity to the economy.  

There are also other people motivated to counterfeit vehicle documents, organized criminals. These are the people involved in drugs and other serious crime which robs governments of money and puts ordinary citizens at risk. These criminals counterfeit vehicle documents because they want to stay off the radar of the police. Easier ways to identify the cars driven by organized criminals would result in less crime, including monetary-related crime and tax evasion.   

And let's not forget the mechanics that fix cars.  Mechanics loose thousands of dollars every year from people trying to cover-up cars that need repairs which generate taxable income for governments.

Interested in CarSure or other InkSure products? Make an appointment with an InkSure representative.