22/01/2021 15:45
The number of counterfeit euro banknotes withdrawn from circulation in Cyprus declined to 260 in 2020 marking a steep reduction of 43.1% compared to 2019, according to the Annual Bulletin on euro banknote counterfeiting.
“This figure is significantly lower than that of 2019, representing a decrease of 43.1%,” the Central Bank of Cyprus said in a press release, adding that in comparison with the number of genuine euro banknotes in circulation, the quantity of counterfeits remains very low.
Furthermore, according to the CBC, the €50 banknote had the highest rate of counterfeiting in Cyprus, accounting for 35.8% of the total.
Notwithstanding the very small number of counterfeits, the Central Bank of Cyprus aid it advises the public to scrutinise banknotes when transacting in cash. The Central Bank of Cyprus and the European Central Bank websites provide information on simple ways to check the genuineness of euro banknotes.
Furthermore, according to data by the ECB, in 2020 about 460,000 pieces of counterfeit euro banknotes of various denominations were withdrawn from circulation representing a decrease of 17.7% compared with 2019.
€50 and €20 notes continued to be the most counterfeited banknotes, jointly accounting for about two thirds of the total.
94.5% of counterfeits were found in euro area countries, while 2.8% were found in non-euro area European Union member states and 2.7% in other parts of the world, the ECB said.