"Not enough money? Then I’ll buy some!” This man must have thought that too. The police warn about counterfeit money!
On Friday morning, June 11th, officers from the Counterfeit Money Crimes Department (LKA 64) searched the apartment of a 57-year-old German who is suspected of having paid and traded with counterfeit money. The search led to the discovery of large quantities of “flowers” which were confiscated.
Through intensive investigations by specialists in counterfeit money crimes and findings from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the 57-year-old came into the focus of the police.
“Prop Copy”
The man is suspected of having legally purchased banknotes marked as imitations via an online platform in order to then illegally use them for cash purchases.
The Hamburg public prosecutor's office then obtained a search warrant for the man's apartment from an investigating judge, which was executed last Friday morning.
The officers seized counterfeit banknotes with a fictitious value of 120,000 euros, more than 3,000 British pounds and almost 8,000 US dollars.
In addition to the lack of general security features, the majority of the fake banknotes are marked “Prop Copy” and are used, among other things, as play money or as film props under the name “Movie Money”.
After the search was completed, the man remained in his apartment as there were no grounds for arrest.
The police appeal
In this context, the Hamburg police appeal to pay attention to the authenticity of banknotes when paying in cash.
The banknotes most commonly used by perpetrators are the 10 euro, 20 euro and 50 euro notes.
A common way of committing the crime is that fraudsters pay for goods of relatively low value with a higher-value counterfeit banknote in order to get as much real cash back as possible through the money exchange.
They often take advantage of situations with an increased number of visitors, such as at weekly markets, street festivals or even the Hamburg Cathedral. But perpetrators also specifically select long queues in supermarkets in order to take advantage of possible inattention on the part of cashiers due to time pressure.
But taking advantage of darker times of day or locations is also one of the methods used by perpetrators to conceal counterfeit features.
If you find yourself in possession of counterfeit money and only notice it at a later date, do not bring it back into payment transactions. Be sure to contact a police station as soon as possible and file a report there. This is the only way to get information about the people who are putting counterfeit money into circulation. This will not expose you to prosecution.
If a banknote has been received at a retail store that, at first glance, appears to be a counterfeit, please note the following procedure:
Do not return the banknote to the payer! Tell him clearly about your suspicions! Call the police immediately! If possible, only hold the banknote by the corners! If the customer escapes, do not prevent him from escaping! Rather, memorize his appearance well, pay attention to the escape route and, if necessary, the escape vehicle and its license plate!
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Source: PP/Hamburg Police
Also interesting:
Be careful when shopping online! Before you know it, you're buying something from a fake shop like in this case.
Fraud through fake shops – police give tips on how to protect yourself from fake shops
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