Fake $100 bills circulating in Hamilton, police say

Hamilton Police are reminding the public and businesses to be familiar with the security features in Canadian bank notes and to “Feel, Look, Flip” to keep counterfeits out of your pockets and tills.

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“We’ve seen several counterfeit $100 notes lately with the holographic foil strip applied as a sticker, not embedded in the note as is the case in genuine notes,” Detective Dave Place says. “By running your fingernail across the holographic strip, you can easily detect the edges of the sticker which, in some cases, is peeling off. If you can feel the raised edges or the sticker is peeling off, the note is counterfeit.”

Here are a few tips to help spot counterfeit bills:

• Feel the note. All Canadian and US currency is produced with raised ink on the shoulders of the portrait and elsewhere on the note. Run your fingernail over the shoulders of the portrait and you’ll feel the raised ink on a genuine note.
• Look at the note. The finish on a genuine note does not scrape off and the colour does not run when it gets wet. The holographic foil strip is embedded in the note, not added as a sticker, and does not peel off.
• Flip the note to see the features in the large window repeated in the same colours and detail on the other side. The transparent window contains a metallic portrait that matches the larger one on the face of the note and changes colour when tilted. The transparent window also contains small numbers that match the value of the note.
• The dollar value is hidden in the frosted maple leaf in the corner.
• On older notes, the holographic strip contains maple leaves that change colour when the note is tilted. This strip also contains small numbers that match the value of the note.

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If you suspect a bank note is counterfeit, politely refuse to accept it.

Advise the person to check the note with their bank and inform police of a possible attempt to pass suspected counterfeit money.