Watch out! number of fake euro notes increasing

Last year, over one million fake euro notes were found, half of which were simple photocopies, only with Chinese holograms. This means a 30%-increase in Europe, according to German law enforcement agencies.

In Germany, 99 912 fake bank notes were found last year, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (BKA). This means a 1%-increase for the country, while the value of these fake banknotes amounts to a total of 17 million euros, which is actually almost 2.5 times as much as the sum from the year before, reports Privátbankár. However, the number of suspects and the initiated proceedings show a slight decline (3469).

When it comes to Europe as a whole, a 30%-increase in the number of fake banknotes can be observed, with the number rising to 1.17 million.

In total, the fake banknotes found are worth 102 million euros, meaning an 82%-increase in value.

It is important to note that the “darknet”, the secretive, anonym corner of the internet plays a significant role in the increase of fake banknotes.

Perpetrators and photocopies

Sadly, it seems like the perpetrators are getting younger, too, with the number of participants under 21 growing. There are both internationally operating organised forger groups and private individuals making use of the opportunities provided by the darknet. Last year, three major forger groups were exposed, one of them with mainly Turkish participants, the other with mostly Italian and the third with mostly German members.