NCJ Number
68446
Date Published
1979
Length
224 pages
Annotation
SPECIFIC TYPES OF MONEY COUNTERFEITING CRIMES AND TECHNIQUES OCCURRING IN WEST GERMANY IN THE YEARS 1968 TO 1977 ARE DESCRIBED TOGETHER WITH ANTICOUNTERFEITING MEASURES.
Abstract
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COIN AND CURRENCY SYSTEMS TRACES THE SIMULTANEOUS EVOLUTION OF COUNTERFEITING OFFENSES HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THE POPULARITY OF AUTOMATS AND BY IMPROVED POSSIBILITIES FOR CIRCULATION OF FORGED MONEY ABROAD; GERMAN COUNTERFEITING INCREASED NOTICABLY IN 1976 AND 1977. IN RECENT YEARS COUNTERFEITING HAS TENDED TO BE THE WORK OF CRIMINAL GROUPS RATHER THAN INDIVIDUALS; COINS HAVE BEEN MORE FREQUENTLY IMITATED THAN BILLS. SPECIFIC GERMAN LAWS RELATING TO COUNTERFEITING ARE OUTLINED IN DETAIL, AS ARE TYPES OF GERMAN AND U.S. BANKNOTES. SIGNIFICANT FACTORS FOR THE PRODUCTION AND IMITATION OF BILLS ARE THE TYPE OF PAPER (E.G., WEIGHT AND WATERMARK) AND PRINTING TECHNIQUES (E.G., INK COLORS, VARIATIONS IN PRINTING STYLES FOR VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BILL). COUNTERFEIT COUINS ARE GENERALLY PRODUCED BY STAMPING, CASTING, AND GALVANOPLASTIC PROCEDURES. MOST COUNTERFEITERS MANUFACTURE BILLS BY OFFSET PRINTING, ALTHOUGH PHOTOREPRODUCTIONS, HAND-DRAWN IMITATIONS, AND EVEN CUT-AND-PASTE JOBS MADE OF REAL BILLS OR IMITATIONS ARE ALSO COMMON. FACTORS FACILITATING RECOGNITION OF COUNTERFEIT BILLS INCLUDE PAPER, SECURITY FIBERS, ACCURACY OF PRINTED PICTURES, AND NUMBERS. COUNTERFEIT COINS CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY SOUND, THE CONSTITUTION OF LETTERS, MATERIAL FLAWS, AND THE CONSISTENCY OF COIN EDGES. AS THE DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK IS EMPOWERED BY THE BASIC LAW TO PRODUCE MONEY, THE BANK IS ALSO CHARGED WITH IDENTIFYING AND STORING ILLEGAL MONEY, WITH COLLABORATING IN POLICE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING COUNTERFEITING, AND WITH PROVIDING EXPERT COURT TESTIMONY. A SPECIAL NATIONAL REPORTING SERVICE EXISTS FOR POLICE REFERENCE, IDENTIFYING COUNTERFEITERS AND DISTRIBUTORS, RECORDING DISTRIBUTION SITES, AND FACILITATING RAPID RECOGNITION OF CURRENT IMITATIONS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY, TABLES, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND APPENDIXES CONTAINING INFORMATION AND NOTICES ABOUT FORGED MONEY AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EXAMPLES OF FORGERIES ARE FURNISHED.--IN GERMAN.