PALU: The Central Sulawesi branch of Bank Indonesia (BI) has warned the public that counterfeiters are using high-tech technology to forge banknotes in the province.

BI’s Central Sulawesi head Rahmat Hernowo said the counterfeiters separated the two sides of a banknote and attached a forged half to each of the original halves.

“We first found a Rp 50,000 (US$5) fake banknote made with this technique in May,” said Rahmat, adding that this technique had created confusion for BI.

“They must have high-tech tools. How can they make a banknote with two different sides?” he said.

According to BI data, there has been an increase in forgery cases in the last few years. In the first six months of 2012, BI found 41 sheets of fake money, while in the previous year, it discovered 82 and 44 sheets in 2010.

He called on residents to be cautious when accepting money. “You should take a closer look at both sides of the money to detect whether it is fake or not,” Rahmat added.

In early July, the police arrested a man who allegedly distributed counterfeit money in Donggala.

The police also confiscated evidence, including fake money with a face value of Rp 11.3 million.