Money is the foundation of the national and world economy and serves as a means of exchange of goods and services. The aim of this paper is to clarify why money is a special sociological, economic and forensic phenomenon and how citizens can contribute to reducing the number of counterfeits in payment transactions. It is explained what money is, what is its importance for society and culture, what counterfeits are and which laws define counterfeiting as a criminal activity, and why money counterfeiting occurs and by whom. Also, it was clarified what kind of community the European Union is and what is the history of the euro as a supranational means of payment due to the imminent introduction of the euro as an official means of payment in the Republic of Croatia. In the empirical part of the research, it is explained which institutions deal with the analysis of counterfeits and in what ways they carry out expert examinations of suspicious banknotes and coins, and statistical data on counterfeits in the Republic of Croatia and EU are presented, as well as what are the main elements and methods of protection on the banknotes and coins. In the discussion, based on the knowledge gained from the relevant literature and statistical indicators on the current methods of counterfeiting, certain new ways of protecting banknotes were proposed in order to reduce the level of counterfeiting in the future and thereby ensure a stable supranational currency.