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2 clusters · 7 sources · 24 days · First seen · Last updated

Global counterfeit currency trends

Overview

Reports indicate rising trends in counterfeit currency across different regions. In Germany, the Bundesbank noted an 8.6 percent increase in counterfeit Euro coins during the first half of 2026, with nearly 64,900 fake coins identified, mostly two-euro pieces. In response, the European Central Bank is proposing a new series of banknotes with revised designs by the end of 2026.

In South Korea, the Bank of Korea reported a significant surge in counterfeit banknote seizures. The number of notes rose 20-fold to 9,716, while the total value increased over 100-fold to approximately 476 million won. Nearly 97.7 percent of these were 50,000 won denominations. This spike was largely driven by an incident in Asan where a group attempted to exchange over 9,000 counterfeit notes for virtual assets. Despite these developments, counterfeit sales continue on social media platforms, and critics have noted that current identification tools, such as a dedicated mobile application, see very low daily usage.

Entities

Bank of Korea · Federal Criminal Police Office · Bundesbank · Ahn Sang-hoon · European Central Bank

Timeline

  1. [CRIME] 2 sources
    Bank of Korea counterfeit banknote seizures surge 20-fold

    Counterfeit banknote seizures in South Korea surged 20-fold last year, with 50,000 won notes making up nearly 98% of the volume, amid concerns over ineffective monitoring and social media sales.

  2. [CRIME] 5 sources
    Bundesbank reports rise in counterfeit Euro coins

    The Bundesbank reports an 8.6% rise in counterfeit Euro coins in early 2026, while the ECB develops new banknote designs to enhance security.

Sources

berlin-live.de · biz.heraldcorp.com · derwesten.de · joseilbo.com · moin.de · news38.de · thueringen24.de