Fake 20-Krone Coins Drain Danish Grill Bar of 25,000 Kroner

Counterfeit 20-kroner coins are circulating across Southern Denmark, prompting warnings from Syd- og Sønderjyllands Politi. Since the start of the year, seven cases involving fake coins have been reported in the region alone, according to police commissioner Jakob Bennike. These incidents range from individuals handing over a single counterfeit coin to businesses discovering large batches. One notable case occurred last week at Bedstes Grill and Sandwich in Padborg, where fraudsters made off with more than 25,000 kroner. Co-owner Birgitte Lisa Stenstrup called it “really, really annoying and expensive tuition.” The suspects used hundreds of shiny fake 20-kroner coins in gaming machines to get tokens, then exchanged those tokens for banknotes using the venue’s change machine. Mike Nielsen, who co-owns the business with Stenstrup, said they’re still counting losses but estimate the theft at 25,000 to 30,000 kroner. The fake coins closely resemble genuine ones, making them hard to detect. According to Nielsen, they look authentic, weigh slightly less, and all carry the year 2021. National police note that counterfeit 20-kroner coins often differ in weight, font style, and polish. Authorities have seized nearly 600 fake coins from the Padborg location. In response, the owners reprogrammed all machines to reject standard 20-kroner coins, only proprietary gaming tokens will be accepted.