Pair held over crude euro fakes

Europe is on the alert for forgeries and fake notes and coins

BORDEAUX, France -- A mother and son have been arrested after trying to buy a loaf of bread with an alleged fake euro note printed off a home computer.

The French woman, 45, is under investigation for allegedly using false currency and her 21-year-old son for allegedly holding false currency with the intention of using it, said Yves Delperie, prosecutor in the southwestern town of Marmande.

The mother is alleged to have tried to use a 50-euro note at the bakers, the prosecutor said on Wednesday.

The pair, whose names have not been disclosed, escaped more serious accusations of forgery because they have no previous criminal record.

Forgery carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 30 years, while using fake money is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

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"Both of them would have faced a jury trial and 30 years in prison," Delperie said.

"They are not gangsters and established forgers and their criminal record is spotless. They did it in a moment of recklessness and greed."

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The mother and son were arrested after a baker in the rural town of Casteljaloux found the forged notes in his till on Sunday and alerted police.

The woman, who is said to have tried to use false notes at the tobacconists without success, was allegedly found to have three more 100-euro notes at her home.

"They are crude fakes made with ordinary paper, with none of the security features of (real) euros, made with rudimentary tools by the son, using a computer, a scanner and a printer," Delperie added.

Both are likely to be released later on Wednesday.

It is not the first time counterfeit euro notes have been discovered since the new single currency was introduced on January 1 in the 12 euro zone nations.

Forged notes have been discovered in Germany, Ireland and Finland.

In a separate note the European Central Bank said on Wednesday that it expected almost all cash transactions will be in euros by Sunday, signalling the euro changeover is virtually complete.

"By the end of the week, it is expected that almost all cash transactions will be processed in euros, so most of the euro cash changeover will thus have been completed," the ECB said in its regular statement updating progress on the cash launch.