Nearly 70,000 euros in counterfeit currency seized in Burjassot

The Burjassot Local Police have apprehended two individuals and confiscated a substantial quantity of counterfeit banknotes, as well as a variety of chemicals and instruments that are purportedly used to perpetrate the “inked banknote scam,” a type of fraud that is prevalent in numerous countries and is classified as a financial crime.

The operation was conducted as part of a normal traffic and road safety inspection on Avenida Vicent Andrés Estellés at 11:30 p.m. on May 1st. A high-end vehicle that responded evasively to the checkpoint was intercepted by officers. The occupants, who were visibly agitated, provided incoherent responses regarding the vehicle’s origin after it was detained and identified. This prompted a preventive search of the vehicle.

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During the inspection, €40,500 in tinted counterfeit banknotes, €20,140 in untinted simulated banknotes, and pre-cut paper in the sizes of euro banknotes of various legal tender values were discovered. Additionally, €7,790 in legal tender cash, some of which was concealed within the vehicle, a Revolut bank card and a passport in the name of third parties, and several SIM cards and foreign currency notes were discovered.

The detainees are CCM, 38, and RGCE, 43, both of Cameroonian descent. They were apprehended and subsequently detained, along with all of the confiscated property, on suspicion of currency counterfeiting and attempted fraud. The Godella Local Police were dispatched to the scene as operational support, and the operation was conducted with their assistance.

The Local Police Headquarters and the City Council are promoting the “Burjassot Segura” Plan, which includes this action. The objective of this initiative is to enhance public and road safety by means of strategic controls, coordinated actions, and preventive surveillance.

Since its implementation, this plan has resulted in numerous arrests for property crimes, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and other criminal offences, thereby establishing a secure urban environment for the municipality’s residents.

What is the “tinted banknote scam”?

This type of fraud, also referred to as a “chemical scam,” involves deceiving victims into believing that it is feasible to convert tinted black or white paper into legal tender through the use of specific chemicals.

In order to establish credibility, fraudsters fabricate a fraudulent demonstration. They insert a genuine banknote that was previously concealed between treated papers and, by employing reactive liquids, feign that it has been “washed” and transformed into a valid banknote. After the victim is persuaded, the scammers demand substantial quantities of money to acquire additional “treated paper” and reagents, which are, in reality, of no value.

This form of fraud is typically associated with roving networks that operate in various territories and is classified as a crime of fraud.