Police are concerned about the production of increasingly genuine-looking souvenir money, some of which contains features of real banknotes such as water marks and ultraviolet protection.
Some counterfeit bills are the exact same size as real notes as well, police officials said Friday.
The police want to make it an administrative offense to create play money that uses some of the same inks and images as authentic cash, said the head of the police's economics crime unit, Dmitry Khrulkov, at a conference Friday, Interfax reported.
The police's top forensics expert Igor Miloradov said criminals have been known to subject genuine-looking banknotes made by advertising agencies to additional processing, then pass them off as real bills.
Stacks of fake 1,000-ruble and 5,000-ruble notes can be purchased for a tiny fraction of their printed value at kiosks all over Moscow.
Khrulkov said police also want to make it a criminal offense simply to produce counterfeit cash. Current legislation stipulates criminal liability only for the production of fake money with the intent to sell it.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
