RCMP Alert on Canadian Counterfeit Bills

The RCMP is warning the public to be on the alert for counterfeit Canadian bills which have a holographic stripe of a lower denomination than the bill.

Counterfeiters are taking genuine holographic or metallic stripes off of low denomination notes, and pasting them on notes of higher denomination. They're fairly easy to spot, as the holographic stripes have a number on them. So if you have a $50 bill with a holographic stripe that has a 5 on it, it's bogus.

Most of the incidents of these types of counterfeits have been in Alberta, but some have also been reported in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. The crooks have even been trying to return the real bills with missing holographic stripes to the bank for replacement.

If you do find a counterfeit bank note, the Bank of Canada advises you to keep the note and contact the police or RCMP, providing them with as much information as possible on where you got the note.

More on Canadian Currency
Canadian Currency
Canadian Bank Note Security Features - Bank of Canada
Currency Counterfeiting - RCMP