# How does FirstScanIt work?

> How a maker-signed QR code lets any phone confirm a product is genuine, how copied codes are caught, and how recalls reach buyers.

Source: https://firstscanit.com/docs/how-it-works

FirstScanIt has four parts: the maker signs, the pack travels, the buyer scans, and the answer comes back. Only the first part needs any work from the manufacturer.

## From factory to phone

*The journey of one pack:* Maker signs and prints the code, the pack moves through distributors and shops, the buyer scans, the result appears and every scan reports back to the maker. The maker’s only new step is printing the code. Everyone downstream keeps working as they do today.

## What makes a FirstScanIt code hard to fake?

When a code is created, the product details (product, batch, serial and dates) are signed with a key that belongs to the maker. Any phone can check that signature, but nobody can create a new valid one without the maker’s key. It is the same kind of mathematics that protects online banking.

> **Change one character and the check fails.** If a counterfeiter edits the batch number, the expiry date or anything else in the code, the signature no longer matches and the buyer sees a red warning.

## How are photocopied codes caught?

A counterfeiter’s easiest trick is to buy one real pack and copy its code onto many fakes. The copy carries a real signature, so FirstScanIt also looks at each code’s scan history. A real pack is sold once and scanned in one place. A copied code keeps appearing in new places.

*Where one code is scanned over 30 days:* Illustration: a genuine pack is scanned in one town, while a photocopied code is scanned in dozens of towns. Illustration with example numbers. When a code behaves like a copy, the buyer is warned and the maker is alerted with the towns involved.

## What happens when a batch is recalled?

The maker marks the batch as recalled in the dashboard. From the next scan onward, every pack from that batch shows a red recall warning on the buyer’s phone, wherever the pack is.

## What results can a scan show?

*The five results:* Genuine, Scanned before, Not signed, Recalled and Expired, each with a colour, an icon and a word. Every result uses an icon and a word as well as a colour, so it reads correctly for people with colour blindness.

## Related

- [How do I check if a product is genuine?](https://firstscanit.com/docs/md/verify-a-product.md)
- [How do manufacturers get started with FirstScanIt?](https://firstscanit.com/docs/md/manufacturers.md)
- [What do IT and quality leaders ask about FirstScanIt?](https://firstscanit.com/docs/md/enterprise-questions.md)

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FirstScanIt provides technology-assisted verification based on the maker’s digital signature and scan records.