Mitochondrial pseudogenes or NUMTs occur as a consequence of the insertion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments into the nuclear genome. They are thought to be remnants from the process of gene transfer from the mitochondria to the nucleus that has occurred during the evolution of eukaryotes. Their homology to the mtDNA varies, and in some recent NUMTs it may reach up to 100%. Therefore they are potential sources of contamination in PCR-based techniques that target mtDNA. Several studies have been performed analysing the influence of these sequences in human mtDNA analyses, and it has been suggested that, although they are not a concern in routine forensic procedures [1], they may be a cause of contamination in specific situations where the mtDNA is degraded or in low amounts or the NUMT is present in multiple copies [2].