Based on data from Bank Indonesia (BI), Jakarta is the national center for counterfeit currency circulation.
During the period of May 2023 – May 2024, approximately 182,000 counterfeit banknotes were found in Indonesia, with 68,000 (37.5%) located in Jakarta.
Other provinces with a significant number of counterfeit banknotes found include East Java (13.7%), West Java (11.9%), and Central Java (10%).
The number of counterfeit banknotes found in other provinces was lower, with a proportion of 3% or less of the national total.
BI collects this counterfeit currency data from reports by banks, the public, and police investigations.
Perpetrators of currency counterfeiting can be prosecuted under criminal law with a potential sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
The public can verify the authenticity of Indonesian Rupiah using the 3D method: Look, Feel, and Hold up to the Light. Details are as follows:
* Look: Genuine banknotes have bright, clear colors and a security thread embedded in the paper, appearing as a transverse or interwoven line that changes color.
* Feel: Genuine banknotes have numbers, letters, the Garuda bird image, and the main image that feel rough to the touch.
* Hold up to the Light: Genuine banknotes have a watermark of the depicted hero that is clearly visible when held up to the light.