NCJ Number
76124
Journal
International Criminal Police Review Issue: 341 Dated: (October 1980) Pages: 210-217
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The history, process, distribution, and scale of currency counterfeiting are discussed, along with the types of efforts required to combat it.
Abstract
The history of currency counterfeiting probably extends as far back as the history of currency. Today, currency counterfeiting is a complex undertaking requiring a great deal of technical skill and even artistic talent, since genuine currency is now manufactured by extremely sophisticated processes. Further, some form of organization is required to distribute the counterfeits after production. In a highly developed network, the notes produced by employed technicians are sold to middlemen who then divide up the stock among groups responsible for circulating them gradually over a wide area. The factors that generally determine success or failure in counterfeit circulation are the quality of the counterfeit (poor reproductions can be easily identified), the quantity in circulation, the face value (higher denominations of currency are more carefully inspected and more likely to be detected), and the 'speculation' value (currencies strong in the world market and with wide inernational circulation yield a greater return). The scale of counterfeiting today is relatively small, probably due to effective enforcement efforts. In addition, regular checks, travelers checks, and coins (usually gold coins) are frequently counterfeited. Counterfeiting can be most effectively countered through preventive efforts, such as making genuine currency difficult to imitate and keeping frequent handlers of money informed about how to spot counterfeits, and sophisticated, well-organized international law enforcement. No references are included.