Bulgaria Faces Surge in Counterfeit Banknotes Ahead of Euro Adoption: How to Spot Fakes

As Bulgaria stands on the verge of adopting the euro, the country faces a sharp rise in counterfeit banknotes, with the second quarter of 2025 seeing a record number of fakes circulating. The surge is especially pronounced in the 100 leva bills, where counterfeit detections jumped from just 31 in the first quarter to 661 in the second.

Overall, authorities registered 1,247 counterfeit notes, of which 531 were 50-lev denominations and 43 were 20-lev bills....