The European Central Bank reported that 387,000 counterfeit banknotes were removed from circulation in the first six months of 2010.

The most removed counterfeit Euro was the 50 euro bill, which accounted for 42.5 percent of all counterfeits removed, followed by the 20 Euro bill, which accounted for 41.5 percent of all counterfeit removed.

Source:  AFP, “Number of fake euro banknotes falls,” Google News, July 19, 2010.

The United States Secret Service removed over $182 Million of fake US dollars in Fiscal Year 2009, an increase over the $103 million seized in FY 2008.

Source:  Cyndia Zwahlen, “Fake money a growing problem for small businesses,” Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2010.

In 2009, police in China seized 1.17 Billion Yuan in counterfeit banknotes while arresting nearly 6,000 suspects.

Source:  AFP, “China police bust huge counterfeit ring,” Google News, June 10, 2010.

The United States Secret Service has seen an increase in the number of arrests for the counterfeiting of currency as the US dealt with the economic recession.

The following is the number of arrests for the fiscal year.

FY-07: 2,205 arrests.

FY-08: 2,493 arrests.

FY-09: 2,946 arrests.

Source:  Thomas Olson, “Secret Service: Counterfeiting on the rise,” Pittsburgh Tribune Review, June 6, 2010.

In the second half of 2009, European Union agents removed 447,000 counterfeit euros from circulation, up from the 413,000 seized in the first half of the year.

The 860,000 counterfeit notes seized in 2009 is up from the 666,000 seized in 2008.

The most counterfeited bill was the 20 Euro note, which accounted for 47 percent of the counterfeits.

Source:  Associated Press, “Amount of Counterfeit Euros Up, ECB Says,” CNBC, January 11, 2010.

One out of every forty pound coins in the United Kingdom is counterfeit, according to government officials.  The total value of the counterfeit coins equals to 37 Million Pounds ($60 Million).

Between 2007 and 2009, the number of counterfeit coins destroyed by the Royal Mint increased more than 800 percent.

Source:  “The 1 in 40 chance that the pound in your pocket is a fake,” Daily Mail, November 8, 2009.

In 2008, $4.3 Million in counterfeit bills were seized in Colombia.

As of October, $19 Million was seized in 2009.

Source:  Associated Press, “Colombia seizes $19M in forged US bills in 2009,” Google News, November 10, 2009.

The Government of India stated that 130 million high quality counterfeit notes were smuggled in to the country each year.

Source:  AFP, “India sees Pakistani hand in fake note flood,” Google News, November 1, 2009.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2009 counterfeiters were printing millions of fake US currency in Colombia.

Source: Josh Meyer, “U.S. officials troubled by fake currency flowing from Peru,” Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2009.

In FY09, authorities in the United States seized $7.8 Million in counterfeit dollars that was believed to have been manufactured in Peru.

In addition, more than $18.2 Million in fake dollars was also seized in raids conducted in Peru.

Source:  Josh Meyer, “U.S. officials troubled by fake currency flowing from Peru,” Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2009.