Fakes siphon off billions of dollars a year from the global economy. It's their uncanny ability to effectively imitate the real thing that gives them their power. They can undermine multimillion dollar brands ... destroy trust in governments ... and pay for some really, really, bad crimes. So who guards currency from counterfeiters and the disasters they can trigger? Host Kal Penn gets access to the Secret Service's restricted labs and heads to a neuroscientist's headquarters to learn how currency brands are protected. He also travels to India where an effort to curb counterfeiting declared over 85% of the cash in circulation worthless. Beyond counterfeit cash, there's a worldwide market of things that aren't what they seem. Meeting with a counterfeit hunter in Hong Kong, Kal sees how some fakes, like clothing and bags, erode brands while fake medicine and electrical outlets cost lives. Then there's the even more secretive world where counterfeits are being used as the crime of choice to fund terror. Yet somehow, counterfeits and knockoffs are also helping the economy. Meeting with drone, fashion and entertainment experts, Kal examines all the complex ways that knockoffs inspire crucial innovation. This episode features appearances by Ed Helms, Rob Corddry, and Patton Oswalt.
