The National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) issued a warning about the circulation of counterfeit somoni banknotes and urged citizens to carefully inspect their received cash.

“Despite continuous efforts to ensure financial stability, the issuance and circulation of counterfeit money remain one of the most pressing challenges of the financial system. Some individuals or groups are deceiving unsuspecting people by using color copying techniques to introduce counterfeit money into circulation,” Tajikistan’s national financial regulator stated on its website.

Cases of counterfeit bills with denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 somonis have been detected. Additionally, social media users have reported seeing somoni banknotes labeled as "funny banknotes."

“The National Bank informs citizens that while these bills resemble the national currency in size, color, and imagery, they lack typical security features such as watermarks, security threads, micro-perforation, kinegrams (a security feature used to prevent counterfeiting, particularly on banknotes and government documents), anti-copy printing elements, tactile marks for the visually impaired, and others,” the bank explained.

The regulator emphasized the importance of recognizing security features when handling cash.

“It should be noted that the production or circulation of counterfeit money from the National Bank of Tajikistan or foreign currencies is a crime under the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Tajikistan,” the statement warned.

The NBT recommends reporting suspicious currency to the nearest branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the State Committee for National Security.