A total of 11,440 forged banknotes with a face value of €475,615 were confiscated by the authorities in Portugal in 2012. This was less than the previous 12 months, which recorded 15,841 counterfeit notes with a total ‘value’ of €658,690.
The figures for Portugal represent 2% of dud notes circulating in the European Zone last year.
The most common forgeries throughout the European Zone are €20 notes (42%) while the false €50 note is more commonly found in Portugal where 5,855 were seized in 2012.
The Central European Bank has advised that the forgeries can usually be detected by careful examination without using auxiliary equipment.
