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It started slowly and went unnoticed for a long time. Since March, counterfeit euro notes have been circulating, initially passing through cash registers and into the hands of customers like ordinary cash. It was only when bank employees became suspicious and checked a few suspicious notes that suspicions arose, which were later confirmed by an official report from the National Bank.
Companies in the town of Zwettl and the municipalities of Ottenschlag and Martinsberg are particularly affected. Counterfeit notes in denominations of five, twenty, fifty, and one hundred euros were seized there. The high number of counterfeit fifty-euro notes is particularly striking. Fourteen of these have already been identified, although the number of remaining ones in circulation remains unclear.
The police say that the counterfeits are of surprisingly high quality. Many of the counterfeit banknotes are deceptively genuine and did not initially arouse suspicion in even the most experienced employees at financial institutions. Only a detailed analysis by experts finally brought the truth to light.
Deceptively genuine imitations
It is still unclear who is behind the professional reproductions. However, modern reproduction techniques were used to create deceptively genuine imitations of the banknotes’ external features. The perpetrators exploited the trust placed in the daily handling of cash to place their counterfeits discreetly. The National Bank confirms that the quality of the counterfeit banknotes was so high that only special procedures made it possible to distinguish them clearly. For this reason, it has not been possible for the authorities to go public earlier.
However, they no longer want to waste any more time. The police are issuing a clear warning and urging people to be vigilant, particularly in the business sector. Anyone can be affected, and anyone who accepts a counterfeit banknote may ultimately bear the loss. Adequate protection starts with keeping a watchful eye. The National Bank advises consistently checking several security features when handling cash.
- source: oe24.at/picture: Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay
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