A total of 523 counterfeit euro banknotes found in Finland in 2021

In 2021, a total of 523 counterfeit euro banknotes were detected among banknotes in circulation in Finland. This was the lowest figure since 2014, when the number of counterfeit euro banknotes was 502. In 2020, the corresponding figure was 1,496.

‘Last year the number of counterfeits was modest in Finland. Usually around 500–2,000 counterfeit euro banknotes are found in Finland each year, so last year there were few counterfeit notes compared with many other years,’ says Olli Vehmas, Banknote Specialist at the Bank of Finland.

Of the different banknotes in circulation in 2021, the EUR 20 was the most frequently discovered counterfeit note (188 counterfeits) in Finland, followed by the EUR 10 (156 counterfeits) and the EUR 50 (148 counterfeits).

‘Although it is very rare that one would receive a counterfeit note, it is always advisable to check the security features when handling banknotes,’ Vehmas emphasises.

Year	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Number of counterfeits	766	833	979	1,496	523

A number of security features have been incorporated into euro banknotes for authentication purposes. Banknote authenticity can be checked by using simple tests, i.e. by feeling the raised print, looking at the banknote against the light and tilting it. When in doubt, a suspect banknote should be compared directly with one that is known to be genuine. Instructions and guides for checking banknote authenticity can be found on the Bank of Finland website (www.bof.fi > Money and payments).

The Bank of Finland has published a new online course on banknotes, which is available to all. The course helps you to familiarise yourself with the security features of euro banknotes and provides information on how to act in different situations if you receive a counterfeit note. The online course is available in Finnish and Swedish here.

In a press release issued today, the European Central Bank provides an overview of the situation regarding counterfeit euro banknotes.

For further information on the situation in Finland, please contact:

Olli Vehmas, Banknote Specialist, Bank of Finland, tel. +358 9 183 3410

Juha Jääskelä, Detective Sergeant, National Bureau of Investigation, tel. +358 295 486 233.

• Euro banknote counterfeiting at historically low level in 2021