| BRUSSELS – Belgium has been infiltrated with fake EUR 1 and EUR 2 coins over the past few months. The counterfeits were discovered when a batch of coins was sent back to the national bank as stock. The coins were issued in another European country as they do not carry the Belgian face, but the Treasury has confirmed they are of very high quality. It is the first time false euro coins have been found in the country. Fake notes however have become a growing problem, with EUR 20 and EUR 50 denominations being the most counterfeited. The national bank uncovered 10,111 fake notes in the first quarter of this year alone, with the European central Bank identifying 230,534 false notes Europe-wide over the same period. |