Destroying 466,535 Sheets of Counterfeit Notes, BI: Carried Out with Strict Procedures

JAKARTA - The Counterfeit Rupiah Eradication Coordinating Agency (Botasupal) has destroyed 466,535 sheets of counterfeit rupiah notes discovered during the period from 2017 to 2025. For information, Botasupal consists of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), Bank Indonesia (BI), the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu). BI Deputy Governor Ricky P. Gozali stated that the destroyed counterfeit notes represent an accumulation from public reports, banking discoveries, findings by rupiah processing service providers (PJPUR), and results from processing bank deposits to BI nationwide from 2017 to November 2025. The destruction was carried out at the BI office in Jakarta using shredding machines, reducing the fake notes to very small pieces that no longer resemble currency. On the same occasion, Polri’s Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation Irjen Pol. Nunung Syaifuddin added that from 2025 to April 2026, the trend of counterfeit note discoveries has continued to decline. This is a positive development because the circulation of fake money can harm the economy. The decline is evident from the counterfeit ratio, which was previously 4 parts per million (PPM) in 2025, dropping to 1 PPM in April 2026. This means that for every 1 million sheets of circulating rupiah, there is only 1 fake sheet. Meanwhile, the uncovering of counterfeit money cases by Bareskrim Polri and police units during this period reached 252 police reports. From these cases, authorities designated 1,241 suspects with evidence comprising 137,005 sheets of counterfeit rupiah and 17,267 sheets of fake US dollars. “Counterfeit money not only harms the public economically but can also disrupt economic stability and reduce public trust in the national currency,” he said. He emphasised that Polri is committed to cracking down firmly on all forms of criminal acts involving currency counterfeiting, from production and storage to circulation. He also reminded that counterfeiting money is a serious crime. As per Article 374 of Law (UU) No. 1 of 2023, perpetrators of currency counterfeiting can face imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rp 5 billion. Furthermore, Articles 375 Paragraph 2 and 3 regulate penalties for those circulating fake money, with threats of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 50 billion. “We also urge the entire public to be more diligent in receiving cash and to immediately report to the police if they find or suspect counterfeit money,” he added. The same sentiment was expressed by Botasupal’s Settum Brigjen Pol. Mulyono. He stated that the circulation of fake rupiah can cause financial losses to the public and reduce public trust in Indonesia’s financial system. Therefore, Botasupal urges the public to be more vigilant and to immediately report to the police any money whose authenticity is in doubt so that it can be verified by BI. “In this case, if the public finds counterfeit rupiah or money whose authenticity is doubted, they should report to the nearest police station for verification by Bank Indonesia,” he said.