Counterfeit Banknotes Circulate in Italy, Including Small Denominations
Periodically, counterfeit banknotes circulate in the city and suburbs, mostly 100,000 lire bills. Recently, however, fake 50,000 lire notes have also appeared on the market, further exemplifying how organized crime is becoming more specialized.
And this, unfortunately, is still not the worst. In recent days, fake 10,000 lire notes have been circulating in Lower Trentino. Exactly so, another step forward in the ongoing money counterfeiting that risks becoming indistinguishable.
Methods of recognizing counterfeit bills
Fortunately, supermarkets are attentive to distinctions that, to the superficial touch, may seem imperceptible but which reveal their falsehood upon closer examination. Instead of being smooth, these illegal notes are rough and made of slightly thicker paper.
Recently, several counterfeit notes have been circulating, and even the most unsuspecting people have discovered they’ve had counterfeit money in their wallets. The phenomenon is not limited to Vallagarina but also occurs in Lower Sarca. There, too, between Arco and Riva del Garda, some customers, when paying their shopping bill, have been told that their money was not genuine.
The shock reaction is obvious, but unfortunately, the checks were genuine. After the 100,000 and 50,000 lire notes, counterfeiters are now back in action with the small denominations—cash that most people usually handle without paying attention.
Checks and risks with small-denomination banknotes
If in a shop someone pays with a 100,000 lire note, a more cautious merchant can always check with a backlight or with his fingers if the money is real. When it comes to 10,000 lire notes—which, year after year, are losing value—it’s less likely that the receiver will doubt their authenticity; rather, they accept them without considering the possibility of counterfeiting.
The question remains: who managed to introduce these counterfeit banknotes and, most importantly, how many are in circulation? Last summer, as you may recall, many 100,000 lire notes were circulated that approached perfection.
Investigations and past cases
The alarm was triggered by some merchants suspicious of these notes being too new. In truth, they were nearly identical to genuine banknotes. The Carabinieri of Rovereto investigated the case thoroughly, looking into the illegal trafficking network and trying to trace back to the printing presses and operators involved.
The meticulous investigations bore fruit. Even earlier, other monetary sprees were quickly shut down. This summer, however, the incursion, as mentioned, proved to be particularly large-scale.
Compared to previous cases, the organization specialized solely in 100,000 lire notes, neglecting the smaller denominations that have appeared in recent days. Nonetheless, investigators from the Arma managed to discover the clandestine printing operation in the Naples area.
In the outskirts of the Neapolitan capital, banknotes were produced on an industrial scale and then distributed in a pyramid across Italy. In Rovereto, they were most likely circulated by low-level operatives — effectively the last link in the chain. Not coincidentally, two immigrants trying to pay for goods with counterfeit money in Mori were arrested at the time.