Most people only know counterfeit money from thrillers. But we also have flowers. In 2021, the Bundesbank registered around 42,000 counterfeit euro banknotes in German payment transactions. Many counterfeits can be spotted with the naked eye, and there is now an app that aims to identify flowers in a few seconds.
Counterfeit money has been declining sharply in the euro area, and that’s good news. But there are also blossoms in Germany and its neighboring countries. According to the Bundesbank, around 347,000 counterfeit banknotes were registered in the euro area last year. 20 and 50 euro notes are particularly popular with counterfeiters.
But what exactly were the security features to look out for? Below we explain how you can recognize counterfeit bills with the naked eye and a lot of feeling. However, the free ValiCash app relieves you of the manual check of the security features; it recognizes counterfeit euro bills in seconds.
App detects counterfeit money
The app is easy to use and works locally: lay the banknote flat on a light table and orient it face up. Then start the app and take a look at the note with the smartphone camera. Align it in the rectangle that appears and take a picture.
If that worked, you will be informed of the result in a few seconds. Usually this is just a tick on a green background and a message that the check was successful. The app authenticates the printing process used specifically for banknotes. If there is no success message, it is best to scan the note again.
Unfortunately, the app is only available for iOS so far and only euro bills can be checked. It would also be practical to check other currencies, especially for holidaymakers who are not so familiar with the security features of foreign banknotes.
In 3 steps: Identify flowers without an app
Everyone should be able to recognize counterfeit money according to the three-stage principle “feel-look-tilt”:
- Feel: Banknote paper has a special feel and should feel firm. On the front of the banknotes, for example, parts of the printed image that are highlighted can be felt as a relief. On the left edge of the Europa series is the lettering “BCE ECB EЦБ EZB EKP EKT EKB BĊE EBC” (as well as “ESB” from the 50 euro note) and additional hatching on the right and left edge.
- See: The watermark can be seen as a shadow on the unprinted area of each note when held up to the light. There is a transparent window in the upper area of the hologram stripe in the Europa series from the 20 euro note. It shows an illustration of the face of Europa.
- tipping: The hologram elements change when the banknote is tilted. Rainbow-colored effects appear surrounding the motifs. The banknotes of the Europa series also have the emerald number on the front bottom left: when tilted, the color changes and a light bar moves up or down.
Tip: When examining a suspicious banknote, it is useful to use a banknote that is undoubtedly genuine for comparison.