Central Bank of Russia reports 28,646 bank notes were forged in July-September 2007. Most of these (26,580 bank notes) were 1,000-ruble ones. In addition, some forged 5,000-ruble bank notes have been forged for the first time this year, but since the number of the forged bank notes only came to six, the 5,000-ruble bills are still believed to be the best protected ones.

The Bank of Russia’s analysts say the quality of the forged bills is not very good, but the 1,000 -ruble ones are usually forged best.

«One’s chances of being given a fake 1,000-ruble banknote are, in fact, minuscule. The only occasion I can think of is when somebody gives it to you in the form of change if you had a 5,000-ruble bill. However, the changes of being tricked soar if one is paying for a costly item», notes Larisa Larionova of SKB-Bank.

«This is why I’d recommend non-cash ways of paying for real estate, cars, and so on and I’d say you should try to get the money through a bank. Each bank has a multi-level control system that guarantees you that you get no faked banknotes there», she adds.

Most forged bills (16,719) were found to be circulating in Central Federal District in July-September 2007, and the figures were lowest in Ural Federal District (761), SKB-Bank’s press officer reports.