Munich counterfeiters exposed: Police on the trail of fraudsters!

Munich counterfeiters exposed: Police on the trail of fraudsters!

There are currently significant problems with counterfeiters in Munich city center, which is putting not only the police but also local retailers on alert. How ARD media library reports, the criminal police (Kripo) are investigating a gang that circulates counterfeit 500 euro notes and is particularly targeting the Viktualienmarkt. Among the victims is Irmi Bartl, who accidentally receives a counterfeit banknote, while Xaver Bartl and Felix Kandler wonder whether Elfi Pollinger would like to rent out her market stall.

These counterfeiters seem to particularly target traders. Sandor Malek, an experienced forger, has not only mastered the art of obtaining money, but is also flirting with Moni Riemerschmidt, which further complicates the situation. The police are faced with the challenge of thwarting these machinations and bringing the perpetrators to account.

Background of counterfeiting money

The counterfeiters' business model is meticulously sophisticated. Loud South German newspaper The Munich district court sentenced a 32-year-old man who was handling counterfeit 500 euro notes. These notes had numerous security features of real notes and were classified as genuine by appropriate money counting machines. The defendant was well connected through his machinations, had contacts in the narcotics and red light districts and even documented his activities in a video.

The German Bundesbank has now integrated various features into banknotes to make this more difficult and to put counterfeiters like Sandor Malek in their place. But as the police detectives have to discover again and again, the fraudsters manage to get new notes into circulation again and again, particularly through sophisticated forgeries.

Crime development in Germany

The developments surrounding counterfeiting are part of a larger phenomenon in German crime. Statista shows that in 2024 crime fell by 1.7% overall, heavily influenced by the partial legalization of cannabis. However, there is an increase in property and counterfeit crimes that are affecting people's sense of security. The increase in non-German suspects and the statistically highest crime rate in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg also illustrate the challenges that already exist.

The case numbers show a complex situation: While around 285 people died from murder or manslaughter in 2024 and the clearance rate is 58%, the police also have to repeatedly note that the number of unreported crimes, such as sexual offenses, remains high. This not only affects the perception of security, but also the effectively conducted investigations. And so the investigative teams, as well as the traders affected, can only hope that the police will quickly hunt down the counterfeiters before more counterfeit notes come into circulation.