Police warn about fake $100 bills in circulation

Hamilton police are warning of an increase in counterfeit $100 bills. In many cases with the fake bills, the holographic foil strip is applied as a sticker and not embedded in the note. Police are asking people to carefully inspect bills to try and prevent fake money from circulating.

Here are a few tips to help spot counterfeit bills:

Feel the note. All Canadian and U.S. currency has raised ink on the shoulders of the portrait and elsewhere on the 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.

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 bill.