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A specimen of an apparently genuine, but forged EUR 50 banknote. Photo by EPA/BGNES
The best forgers of euro notes are Bulgarians and Italians, according to an Italian expert participating in the fight against the printing of fake money.
Speaking to the Bulgarian News Agency on conditions of anonymity, the expert said that about half of fake euros are printed in the Giugliano community north of Naples.
While the area's best production comes in EUR 20 notes, Bulgarian criminal structures have specialized in brilliant copies of EUR 200 bills, said he.
Since 2002, some 5 M units of fake euro notes have been confiscated in Europe, with the actual number in circulation estimated to be five times higher.
The Italian expert further explained that some of the chief guidelines in changing the design of the euro are given by forgers and the way they overcome hurdles and reproduce the safety features in the bills.
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