Increased prevalence of counterfeit currency in the city's economy
Berliners be forewarned: a shady turn of events awaits when settling your bills. Counterfeit cash is on the surge. Last year, the police logged 3,910 instances of phony money, a 8% hike from 2023 with 3,613 occurrences.
Even the venerable D-Mark is still getting faked and passed around - particularly frequently, blue 100-Mark notes (50 times). One counterfeiter even took a swipe at a 1,000 Mark note featuring the Limburg Cathedral on the reverse.
"The incidence of counterfeit money crimes is following a cyclic pattern. Generally, the number of cases has been escalating in recent years," says Interior State Secretary Christian Hochgrebe (51, SPD).
►Fake Euro notes: 4,667 Euro notes were confiscated, including 1,779 50-Euro notes and 1,570 100-Euro notes that made it into circulation. For instance, a man accused of swindling several users of the online platform "Classifieds" when selling phones in November. Upon collection, he handed over phony 100s.
►Foreign currencies: 359 US dollar notes were bogus, double the number from last year. Two Danish notes and eight forged Austrian Schillings were also spotted. Pounds Sterling (2), Swedish Krona (2), Turkish Lira were also affected.
►Criminals: Only 9 out of 14 defendants were found guilty last year. Two of them were fined up to 25 euros per day, totaling more than 90 daily fines. Five counterfeiters were sentenced to prison.
And the victims? "Anyone who manufactures or circulates counterfeit money is not only committing a crime but also jeopardizing the general public. Anyone who suffers losses due to counterfeit money is left feeling the pinch," says SPD legal expert Sebastian Schluesselburg (42).
Those who prefer to play it safe could opt for mobile payments or debit cards over cold hard cash. Schluesselburg: "It's great that the federal government has agreed that the legal obligation to provide a digital payment option as an alternative to cash payments should be implemented. This will enable sellers and customers to better protect themselves. I hope the bill passes this year."
While Berlin might not be the epicenter of an EU-wide counterfeit goods problem with nearly €99 billion worth of fake imports, roughly 4.7% of its total imports[3], Germany, particularly Berlin, plays a significant role in seizing counterfeit goods, leading the world in the value of seized goods[3]. Technological advancements like EMV (chip-based) card systems significantly reduce card counterfeiting[1]. Meanwhile, consumer education, increased awareness, and legal actions play key roles in combating broader issues of counterfeiting[1][3]. Localized data on counterfeit money cases can be challenging to come by and would require more detailed reporting.
The escalating trend in counterfeit money cases, as evidenced by the 8% hike from 2023 to 2024, extends to both German currency and foreign currencies, such as Euro notes, US dollar notes, and others like Danish notes, Austrian Schillings, Pounds Sterling, Swedish Krona, and Turkish Lira. This increase in fake currency poses a risk not only to individuals but also to the general public, as noted by SPD legal expert Sebastian Schluesselburg. He emphasizes the importance of legal obligations to provide digital payment options, aiming to improve protection for both sellers and customers.
