counterfeit scams are on the rise

Tobacconists regularly find counterfeit 10, 20 or 50 euro notes in their tills. Truly perfect copies. “My apprentice served a customer, she gave him change, the customer left and, when it was time to put the 50 euro note in the case where we put our cash, she realized that the texture of the ticket was weird”, says Denis Jacquot, tobacconist in Rambervillers (Vosges). It was a counterfeit note, used for filming.

With just a few clicks, you can buy them easily on the Internet. Several sites also offer them for playing poker or board games. Possessing them is not illegal, especially since they bear inscriptions that leave no doubt that they are not real banknotes. A simple visual check shows that it is a counterfeit note. But in recent years, gangs in Europe have made it their specialty.