Counterfeit Notes: 23 Seized Since January

Counterfeit Notes: 23 Seized Since January

The Bank of Mauritius is sounding the alarm: counterfeit notes continue to be detected in the banking system. Since the beginning of the year, several cases have been reported. Between January and July 2025, 20 counterfeit notes were discovered, along with three others that had been altered.

An officer from the Currency Office of the Bank of Mauritius reported the issue to the police. He specified that the notes in question are primarily Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 1,000 notes originating from various banking and governmental institutions.

Some of these counterfeit notes had been deposited as early as the end of 2024 but were only detected later during internal checks conducted by the Central Bank.

In addition to these notes, three other altered specimens were identified, each showing halves from different serial numbers — a technique seemingly used to bypass usual security mechanisms.

In total, 23 counterfeit notes have been seized and handed over to the police authorities.

An investigation is underway to determine the origin of these counterfeit notes and identify the networks involved in their circulation.