Counterfeit bills on the rise in Canada

The RCMP has noticed a rise in counterfeit $50 and $100 bills in Canada. The New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) were tipped off on March 12, to a customer who was trying to pay with a suspicious looking $100 bill.

In a March 9 CTV News interview, Constable Paul Reece of the North Vancouver RCMP stated, “We’ve noticed since the first of January 2026 we’ve had an uptick in reports of counterfeit fifties and hundred-dollar bills. We’ve had 11 reports to date.” 

The New Westminster, BC store clerk worked with a security guard to compare the dodgy bill to a genuine $100 bill, they then called the police. An officer arrested a man and seized both drugs and approximately $11,000 in counterfeit bills.

The fake bills were in $100 and $50 denominations. Police continue to investigate the source of these counterfeit bills. Targeted areas are convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, and banks. The NWPD encourages businesses or anyone that’s handling cash to be vigilant, to recognize immediate signs of counterfeit bills then checking to see if the currency is counterfeit or not. Clerks should scan bills and look for fraudulent details such as a raised holographic strip. 

According to a report from the RCMP, 42,175 counterfeit bills were circulated in 2025, and 143,004 were seized by law enforcement. In Ontario, 104,226 counterfeit bills were seized. 

The New Westminster police department says that charges are being considered relating to fraud under $5,000 and possession of counterfeit currency.