Counterfeit Corner

€11 million sophisticated counterfeiting print shop dismantled in Naples

On 14 August 2024, a sophisticated operation producing high-quality counterfeit €20, €50, and €100 banknotes was dismantled in Naples, Italy. The counterfeiter arrested was a notorious money forger and had printed and sold €8 million worth of fake banknotes across the Europe, with an additional €3 million seized at the print shop.

31 digital printers were used to print the counterfeit banknotes, which contained high quality simulations of the security features. The shop was hidden behind his garage; concealed behind a cabinet was a moveable wall which allowed access to the production facility.

This is an example of a professional counterfeiter, one who was mass- producing high-quality counterfeit banknotes. It is apparent that some professional counterfeiters are moving from traditional offset printing to digital printing methods and are still able to produce significant quantities of counterfeits.

These types of investigations typically take years to eventually catch the counterfeiter in action. This investigation started in 2022 and led to at least 10 countries reporting seizures of these counterfeits, which indicates a wide international distribution network to sell his fakes.