On November 22, 2025, a message was published on social networks with photos of a man and information that a counterfeit 20 Euro bill had been put into circulation. After immediate operational-search actions, the officers of the Economic Police Department established that the previous evening - 21.11., at a taxi service, a client had paid with this particular currency note, and the driver subsequently realized that it was fake.
The identity of the perpetrator has been clarified - a 34-year-old man, repeatedly convicted and with previous sentences for an identical crime. In the course of the procedural-investigative actions, evidence directly related to the act was seized. It was established that the euro used is a so-called prop copy, offered in online stores as an attribute for music videos, films and events. On its left edge is written “ONLY FOR MOTION PICTURE PURPOSES – COPY“, and when examining the hologram instead of the euro symbol, the inscription “COPY“ is visible.
All the characteristic protective elements of real money are also missing. The man was detained for a period of up to 24 hours. Pre-trial proceedings were initiated under Art. 209 of the Criminal Code, and the materials were reported to the prosecutor's office.
ODMVR–Varna continues its active preventive campaign in connection with the expected introduction of the euro in the Republic of Bulgaria.