Occurrence of counterfeit and altered banknotes and coins and imitations of banknotes and notes in the Czech Republic in 2005

In 2005, a total of 9,295 counterfeit and altered banknotes and coins, with a value of CZK 10.8 million, were seized in the Czech Republic. The total amount is comparable to 2004, with an increase of just six. The number of counterfeit and altered Czech banknotes and coins increased marginally, while the number of counterfeit and altered foreign banknotes and coins showed a slight decrease. Within the latter, the number of seized counterfeit euro banknotes and coins decreased, whereas the number of counterfeit US dollars increased slightly. This meant that the upward trend in the number of euro counterfeits at the expense of the US dollar was not observed for the first time in several years. However, this may be a one-off development. In addition to counterfeit and altered money, 386,284 reproductions and imitations of banknotes and coins of different currencies and denominations were seized.

In comparison to 2004, the number of counterfeits seized by the Police of the Czech Republic decreased, while the number of counterfeits seized from circulation by legal entities increased by around 20%. The probable risk of receiving a counterfeit in a cash payment thus increased, as the largest number of counterfeits seized by legal entities occurred in transfers of takings. One negative phenomenon was that there were again cases last year where professional entities in the area of currency circulation - commercial banks and cash-handling security agencies - failed to recognise some counterfeits, which were identified only in the CNB's branches.

Counterfeit and altered banknotes and coins seized from circulation and by the police in 2005

The most frequent counterfeit Czech banknote was the CZK 500 denomination, whereas the number of counterfeit CZK 5,000 banknotes saw a substantial decrease. The shift in the greatest interest of counterfeiters from the highest to a medium denomination thus continued. The majority of counterfeit banknotes were made using office reproduction equipment (inkjet and laser printers and photocopiers), whereas the number of counterfeits made using traditional printing techniques decreased again. On a five-point scale of dangerousness, the majority of counterfeit Czech banknotes were labelled as less successful (Level 4), with the second most frequent level being Level 2 for dangerous counterfeits. Thus, the trend of previous years of a rising number of both better and worse counterfeits at the expense of average counterfeits continued.

The most frequent counterfeit foreign banknotes were the EUR 50 and USD 100 denominations. In contrast, these banknotes are counterfeited by means of traditional printing methods rather than office reproduction techniques.

As regards Czech coins, so-called 'technical counterfeits" - designed to trigger slot-machine mechanisms - still prevail, while counterfeit euro coins are exclusively in the form of dangerous or very dangerous minted coins, which are often unidentifiable by the public.