Beijing Police Bust Youth Gang Printing Fake Banknotes at Home

As mobile payments dominate everyday life, few people still handle cash – and even fewer can spot a fake. Beijing police have uncovered a counterfeiting ring run by a group of young suspects using nothing more than home printers.

The case began when officers detected a suspicious online transaction involving a counterfeit currency template. Following months of investigation, police traced the source to a network producing and distributing fake banknotes, according to China Central Television.

Joint operations were carried out across Beijing, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as Hebei and Jiangxi provinces. In total, 15 suspects were arrested, most of them born after 2000, including minors.

According to police, the group learned counterfeiting techniques from overseas software tutorials and purchased equipment online. They set up makeshift workshops in remote areas and used cryptocurrency for payments. Some members even profited by selling tutorials on how to make fake notes.

Police said the counterfeit notes were later circulated by accomplices who targeted people still accustomed to using cash – particularly the elderly – as well as gullible young consumers with little experience handling real banknotes.

Authorities dismantled eight workshops and seized illicit proceeds worth 2.5 million yuan (US$351,000), CCTV said. Police warned that despite technological advances, the use and production of counterfeit currency remain serious criminal offenses.