The RCMP Winnipeg Commercial Crime Section said last week they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of counterfeit US $100 banknotes being passed in Edmonton and surrounding areas.

 The fake notes are very good quality, they reported, and contain security features that closely mimic those found in genuine notes.

 Though the United States recently announced the launch of a new $100 bill with added high-tech security features, the counterfeits Canadians are finding are not modeled after the new design as these new bills won’t be introduced to the public until February 10, 2011.

 Currently, the US $100 banknote includes security features such as a watermark of Benjamin Franklin on the right side of the bill, optically variable ink (OVI) that changed from green to black when viewed at different angles, a higher quality and enlarged portrait of Franklin, fine-line printing around Franklin’s portrait and Independence Hall, interwoven red and blue silk fibers, microprinting, and a plastic security thread that glows red under a black light.

 The new US $100 bill will retain some of those features but will also include new highly secure 3-D features such as ribbon crossing the center of the bill that depicts bells transforming to numeral 100s and a colour-changing Liberty Bell inside a inkwell, which are all visible as the bill is tilted.

 Other new features can be found in the bill’s denomination both on the front and back. The “100” on the front shifts from copper to green when tilting the note and a large gold numeral 100 on the back helps people with visual impairments recognize the bill more easily.

 Canadian bills contain several different security features. The Canadian $100 banknote, for example, is equipped with a metallic holographic stripe, colour-changing dashes found on the bill’s security thread, and raised ink (intaglio printing).

 The RCMP say Canadians may not be familiar with the US note’s security features, and are encouraging employees working with cash to become more familiar with the US currency in order to prevent the spread of counterfeit bills.

 SOURCES:


My Steinbach: “Public Warned About Counterfeit US $100 Banknotes”
“United States One Hundred-Dollar Bill”
Global Paper Security: “A Closer Look At The New US $100 Bill’s Security Features”
Bank of Canada: “2001-2004 Series, Canadian Journey”