Brussels, 11/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - 12% fewer false euro banknotes were seized in 2012 than in 2011, 531,000 notes as opposed to 606,000, a tiny number given the nearly 15 billion notes in circulation, announced the European Central Bank in a press release on Thursday 10 January. The €20 and €50 notes continue to be the most counterfeited.
The ECB recommends that people remain vigilant when being handed notes, pointing out that it is easy to recognise genuine banknotes using the “Touch-Look-Tilt”system described on the ECB website. Anyone who thinks they've been handed a false euro note should contact the police or the central bank of the country they are in, where national practice allows. (MB/transl.fl)