Making a small purchase with a fake 100 euro note and recovering the very real change is the scam set up by a couple who traveled the province of Luxembourg. Eric and Pauline (not their real names) had bought the tickets from Patrick, whom Eric had met in prison. The supplier had acquired 60 counterfeit 100 euro notes abroad. For 1,000 euros, he sold 40 to the couple. Who then made small purchases in various businesses. Until a store spotted the counterfeit money. The couple was identified thanks to the cameras. In September 2023, they received a year in prison.
In April 2023, a man was tried because he resold counterfeit tickets purchased on the dark web. He loses his wallet, a lady brings him to the police who finds… a counterfeit note there. In the end, the man had imported between 30 and 50 fake 50 euro notes via the dark web, notes purchased in Latvia at a price varying between 5 and 10 euros per denomination. He subsequently sold some to 3 acquaintances. They used them, notably during the Rochefort laughter festival, where they were sold for almost 200 euros, but also to buy cocaine. It took 100 hours of work.
Another case, judged in 2023: they flooded Wallonia with counterfeit notes. They made them in Liège paper mills. They photocopied real species and faked a few things when printing, such as identification numbers. Furthermore, several defendants had carried out numerous “rip-deal” type scams. They frequented the bar of a prestigious hotel and made friends, going so far as to offer them exceptional exchange rates on euros earned allegedly in black for Swiss francs or dollars. The exchange rates offered were staggering compared to regular markets. When the day came, the scammers managed to exchange millions of fake euros for authentic currency.
In August 2023, a man was sentenced to 6 years in prison for significant cannabis and cocaine trafficking in Namur prison. He controlled this traffic which included 45 inmates from his cell. The other defendants transported the drugs, particularly during unsupervised visits. In this case, 47 counterfeit 500 euro notes were seized, they were intended to place an order for 20,000 euros of cocaine.
