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Düsseldorf / Cologne (dpa / lnw) - The number of counterfeit money cases in North Rhine-Westphalia increased dramatically in the past year.

In 2020 the police registered 1,363 cases - almost three times as many as in 2019 (473).

One factor was not included in the statistics, said a spokesman for the State Office of Criminal Investigation in Düsseldorf: it is possible that larger groups of perpetrators have been broken up.

However, the easier procurement channels via the Internet could also play a role.

The number of cases had been falling since 2016.

The Bonn police suspect the reason for the increase is that it is becoming easier and easier for perpetrators to get counterfeit money - for example via the Darknet.

In Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district, according to a spokesman, the police investigated 43 counterfeit money cases in 2020 - in the previous year there were 19.

According to the Cologne Chief Public Prosecutor Christoph Hebbecker, the central and contact point Cybercrime NRW, which is responsible for computer crime, did not conduct any special counterfeit money proceedings.

"But due to the technical possibilities, access is certainly easier today than it was a few years ago."

It is relatively easy to buy "flowers" on the Internet - and also to sell them.

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The Deutsche Bundesbank also assumes that the Internet plays a major role in the spread of counterfeit money.

The Bundesbank announced in January that the damage caused by counterfeit money in Germany fell from 3.3 million euros in 2019 to around 2.9 million euros.

However, criminals had brought higher numbers of counterfeit notes into circulation - in 2020 there were almost 58,800 counterfeit notes after just under 55,200 in the previous year.

The Bundesbank explained this with the increased number of counterfeit banknotes, which were offered on the Internet as “movie money” or “prop copy” as play money or film props.

These drive the number of flowers up significantly, especially with 10 and 20 euro notes.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210516-99-615719 / 2

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PKS NRW 2020

Bundesbank on counterfeit money statistics 2020