Nunavut RCMP warn against fake bills in Iqaluit

Would you take this $100 bill? Similar fake bank notes are circulating around Iqaluit, the RCMP warned Oct. 12. (HANDOUT PHOTO)

Look before you accept a bank note—and if the bill has pale blue writing on it well, it’s likely a fake and you should call the RCMP.

Iqaluit has seens an influx of counterfeit currency printed on non-polymer Canadian bills, the RCMP said Oct. 12.

“The bills appear to have foreign writing on them,” the RCMP release said.

That prompted the RCMP to warn city residents and businesses to examine any bills before accepting them.

If you suspect that you have been offered a counterfeit note during a transaction, first make sure you are not at risk, the Bank of Canada says.

Then you should:

• politely refuse the note and explain that you suspect that it may be counterfeit;

• ask for another note, and check it too;

• advise the person to check the note with the RCMP;

• let the RCMP know there’s been a possible attempt to pass suspected counterfeit money; and,

• be courteous: “Remember that the person in possession of the bill could be an innocent victim who does not realize that the note is suspicious.”

if you suspect that a note is counterfeit after a transaction, you should give it to the local police. If it’s real, you’ll get it back, the Bank of Canada says.

Either way, the Bank of Canada says police should be informed of possible counterfeiting activity.

And you could also be breaking the law if you buy, receive, or offer to buy, receive, or have—in your custody or possession—counterfeit money.

The above constitutes an indictable offence liable to imprisonment for up to 14 years.

It’s not the first time that counterfeit money has circulated in Iqaluit. In 2011, police nabbed counterfeit $50 and $100 bills in Iqaluit and also arrested a man found with a money-making device in his home. The man was subsequently arrested and faced charges of possessing counterfeit money under Section 450 of the Criminal Code.

Then, in 2012, Iqaluit police were on the lookout for phony $10 and $20 bills.

If you suspect you have a bill that could be counterfeit currency, contact your local RCMP detachment.

You can find more information about the various security features of Canadian bank notes on the Bank of Canada site here.

To provide information about a crime, contact your local RCMP detachment or send an anonymous tip a to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), submitting a secure web tip here or text ‘NWTNUTIPS’ plus your message to 274637(CRIMES).

This $100 bill features Sir Robert Borden, Canada’s eighth prime minister, who led the country through the First World War. But the bill doesn’t include the pale blue writing that prompted the RCMP to issue a warning about counterfeit currency now circulating in Iqaluit. (HANDOUT PHOTO)