During the corona pandemic, the number of crimes involving counterfeit money in Germany continued to fall.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) counts 38,234 counterfeit money offenses in its "Federal situation report for counterfeit money crime 2021" published on Thursday.

According to the Wiesbaden authority, that was 16.7 percent less than a year earlier.

The BKA reported that the downward trend, which has been declining for years, has continued.

Since 2020, cases involving counterfeit coins are no longer included in the overall statistics.

As in previous years, according to the information, the more populous federal states were most affected by counterfeit crime.

Despite a further decline of 21.4 percent within a year, North Rhine-Westphalia recorded the most cases with 9466 offenses in 2021.

Only Bavaria (5,255 cases), Berlin (4,200) and Brandenburg (834) reported more crimes with counterfeit banknotes than a year earlier.

According to police estimates, more than half of the counterfeit money found in Germany is now being sold online, for example via encrypted messenger services or on the Darknet.

According to figures from the Bundesbank, the police, retailers and banks withdrew 41,950 counterfeit euro banknotes from circulation in Germany in 2021.

Including counterfeit notes that have not yet been put into circulation and which investigators found, for example, when counterfeiting workshops were opened, 123,300 euro counterfeit notes were registered in Germany last year, according to the BKA.

That was 12.2 percent less than a year earlier.

However, the nominal value of these counterfeit notes was 11.5 percent higher at 11 million euros.

In Europe as a whole, the total number of counterfeit euro notes for 2021 was 633,300 according to BKA information - this is also a significant decrease compared to the previous year, by 20.5 percent.

According to BKA information, the police assume that all counterfeit banknotes that are currently in circulation can be identified using the feel-see-tilt test scheme.

The authority advises: “Anyone who recognizes a counterfeit banknote should hand it in to the nearest police station – to help identify suspects, but also to avoid becoming the perpetrator themselves.

Because continuing to use counterfeit money is a punishable offense in Germany.”