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Filtered by Counterfeiting — 50 articles

Kerre Corbin

3 Aug. 2026

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner: Underwear Money and a Financial Black Hole

The Hempstead County Sheriff’s Department in the US state of Arkansas recently proved that truth is stranger than fiction – especially when it involves undergarments and fake cash. What started as a standard police bust quickly spiralled into an embarrassing financial facepalm, leaving the department needing a swift emergency budget bailout after accidentally treating counterfeit money like a legitimate bank deposit.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

1 July 2026

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Italy’s Carabinieri have dismantled a major transnational criminal network that used Telegram and Bitcoin to distribute counterfeit euros across Europe. The crackdown, code-named ‘Operation Domino’, culminated in the Carabinieri Anti-Counterfeiting Command Cryptocurrency Section executing court orders against 12 suspects.

Counterfeiting

Gustavo Ascenzo

1 June 2026

4 min read

A Structural Solution to the Counterfeiting Cycle

Make no mistake; modern-day counterfeiting is as much a threat to banknote security as it’s ever been. The ubiquity and availability of digital technology and now the rise of AI in our daily lives make it easier than ever for counterfeiters ply their trade.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

27 May 2026

2 min read

Naples Counterfeit Ring Smashed in Crypto-Telegram Sting

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

27 April 2026

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Halton Regional Police Service, located in the province of Ontario, say they have dismantled an online operation that was selling counterfeit cash across Canada, leading to several arrests and nearly two dozen criminal charges.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

1 April 2026

1 min read

Surge in Australian Counterfeits from Asia

According to the Australian Border Force (ABF), seizures of counterfeit banknotes have surged in the first six weeks of 2026 compared to last year. During this period, the ABF intercepted 57 packages containing $191,130 in fake currency at sorting facilities. While these detections are not included in standard, official parts-per-million (ppm) counterfeiting statistics, they highlight a growing security threat.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

4 March 2026

2 min read

Euro Counterfeits Go into Reverse

444,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2025, according to the European Central Bank. This is a decrease of more than 20% compared with 2024, and a reversal of the trend which had seen numbers climb since 2021. In terms of the counterfeiting ratio, for 2025 it was 14 ppm, compared with 18 ppm the previous year.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

4 March 2026

3 min read

Fake Currency from China Seized in Operation Decoy Crackdown

On 11 February 2026, Europol announced that Operation DECOY III prevented an estimated €1.2 billion counterfeit banknotes and coins from entering circulation. This was a joint operation between customs and police organisations that were targeting criminal networks distributing fake currency through the post.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

1 Oct. 2025

2 min read

Banque de France and BCEAO Drive Cooperation in the Fight Against Counterfeiting

The Banque de France (BdF), in partnership with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), organised an international seminar on 23–26 September 2025 in Paris dedicated to fighting currency counterfeiting.

Counterfeiting

Aleksei Faleev

13 April 2025

4 min read

How Commercial Bank Cashiers View Security Features of Modern Banknotes

At the High Security Printing™ Asia conference in Bangkok last December, currency and counterfeit expert Aleksei Faleev gave a presentation on a survey conducted among cashiers in Kyrgyzstan to gauge their knowledge of and preferences for banknote security features. He has subsequently written this article based on that presentation.

Banknotes Counterfeiting

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Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

Sharp Rise in Counterfeit Euro Coins

Last month we reported on the 2024 counterfeit figures for the euro. This month is the turn of coins, with figures from the European Commission detailing a sharp increase in the number of counterfeits in 2023 (the most recent year on which it has reported) to 480,371 – up 62% compared to 2022 and the highest level by far since the introduction of the euro in 2002.

Coins Counterfeiting

Antti Heinonen

3 March 2025

4 min read

Counterfeiting and Metrics – the Debate Continues

In the December issue of Currency News™ I wrote on whether note issuers are keeping ahead of the counterfeits, with an update on the latest counterfeiting data, using as one of the data points the ppm metric (parts per million, ie. the number of counterfeits detected versus the number of genuine notes in circulation). The following month, Duncan Reid wrote about the shortcomings of the ppm as a metric. It is great that the topic has raised debate, and Duncan’s article provides the few interesting viewpoints, which Currency News has invited me to comment on.

Counterfeiting

Duncan Reid

21 Jan. 2025

8 min read

PPM Gives False Sense of Security About Counterfeiting

Due to its relative ubiquity, ppm serves as a useful means of comparing trends both within and between countries. But as a metric it has its shortcomings. This article examines some of those shortcomings and proposes an alternative method based on the number of banknotes used for cash transactions.

Counterfeiting Free Free

Kerre Corbin

27 Nov. 2024

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Most central banks will classify their counterfeit banknotes to determine the types of threats presented by the counterfeiters. This may be as simple as identifying the printing processes on the counterfeit as digital or traditional. Or it could be an in-depth analysis of the individual characteristics of the printed image along with the security feature simulations.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

29 Sept. 2024

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

€11 million sophisticated counterfeiting print shop dismantled in Naples.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

1 Aug. 2024

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Counterfeit deterrence requires a three-pronged approach. Banknote design security, public education and law enforcement.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

1 Aug. 2024

5 min read

Around the World – Counterfeiting Update

In this periodic series summarising counterfeit currency around the world, we focus on the latest news from Hong Kong, Libya, Scotland and Ukraine.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

3 June 2024

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

In this article, Kerre Corbin of Kerrency details what happens to counterfeits when they are handed in and considers whether these notes included in the counterfeiting statistics reported by central banks.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

30 April 2024

3 min read

Around the World – Counterfeiting Update

In this periodic series summarising counterfeit currency around the world, we focus on the latest news from Switzerland, Ukraine, Spain and Bulgaria.

Counterfeiting

Kerre Corbin

30 April 2024

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Possession of counterfeit versus intent to defraud. What’s the difference?

Counterfeiting

Latest News

Counterfeit Corner: Underwear Money and a Financial Black Hole

Counterfeit Corner

A Structural Solution to the Counterfeiting Cycle

Naples Counterfeit Ring Smashed in Crypto-Telegram Sting

Counterfeit Corner

Surge in Australian Counterfeits from Asia

Euro Counterfeits Go into Reverse

Fake Currency from China Seized in Operation Decoy Crackdown

Banque de France and BCEAO Drive Cooperation in the Fight Against Counterfeiting

How Commercial Bank Cashiers View Security Features of Modern Banknotes

Sharp Rise in Counterfeit Euro Coins

Counterfeiting and Metrics – the Debate Continues

PPM Gives False Sense of Security About Counterfeiting

Counterfeit Corner

Counterfeit Corner

Counterfeit Corner

Around the World – Counterfeiting Update

Counterfeit Corner

Around the World – Counterfeiting Update

Counterfeit Corner

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