Comparative study to validate and authenticate security features of cheques of various countries

Security features are an essential aspect of authenticating every security document. In terms of financial documents, like cheques, more than just concealing the identity of the holder, keeping the document from being forged is also necessary. This can be effectively achieved with security features such as watermarks, unique printing techniques, ultraviolet-visible features, VOID pantograph, etc. These features are not necessarily incorporated in cheques across the globe. This review is a comparative study of the security features of the cheques in India, Canada, Dubai and Australia. All the countries are continually updating the security features, in order to prevent frauds related to cheques. One such development is the recent introduction of the “Positive Pay Mechanism” in Indian cheques. This review focuses on identifying the essential security features which are missing in cheques of some countries, and it also emphasizes the need to incorporate as many of these to enhance the security value of cheques universally.