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Making money the crooked way!



Features to stop forgers



 

Quick facts

Counterfeit bills are turning up across the country in smaller denominations. In 2005, 85 per cent of fake banknotes passed were 5s, 10s or 20s.

New security features on upgraded bank notes:

• Metallic holographic stripe
• Watermark portrait
• Colour-shifting thread woven into the paper
• See-through number
• Enhanced fluorescence under UV lighting



Currency counterfeiting has never been so serious that it's threatened Canada's economy. Still, the Bank of Canada has had to redesign all the country's banknotes to address the problem. Consumers, businesses and the Bank of Canada got quite a jolt in 2001 with the discovery of a sophisticated counterfeiting ring operating near Windsor, Ont. These counterfeiters turned out mounds of $100 bills of such high quality that millions of dollars in funny money made its way into general circulation before the ring was broken up. Many businesses quickly decided to refuse all big bills.

It may seem like most stores still won't accept your $50 and $100 bills. But the Bank of Canada says large bills aren't being turned away as often as they used to be. Its latest retail survey shows that 97 per cent of retail outlets will accept large bills. That's up from 94 per cent in 2002.

Businesses may be more willing to accept the larger notes because more now have portable counterfeit detection systems in place at their cash registers. Also, fewer counterfeits are being passed. The RCMP says 402,303 counterfeit notes were passed in 2005, down from 553,000 in 2004. The Bank of Canada says that trend lower is continuing in 2006. (To put this in perspective, there are about 1.35 billion notes in circulation.)

As more and more retailers subject their higher denomination bills to closer scrutiny, the counterfeiters have turned to the lower denominations.

More than 85 per cent of the fake bills passed in 2005 were 5s, 10s, and 20s. That's why you may have noticed that some retailers now routinely check all bills. The better-quality counterfeits, however, can still slip by some detection machines.

Financial institutions find a lot of the fakes. But they report that counterfeit credit cards are a much bigger problem for them than counterfeit currency. In 2005, counterfeit cards cost them $280 million — dwarfing the $9.3 million lost from phony money.

But the Canadian public still thinks of counterfeiting as a big problem. A 2006 survey done for the Bank of Canada found that 35 per cent of the people contacted believed they would receive a counterfeit bill in the next six months. A 2004 survey found that 13 per cent of respondents said they had been offered or had received a counterfeit note at some point in their lives. RCMP figures show that more than a half-million counterfeit notes were finding their way into circulation as recently as 2004. That's far above what the Bank of Canada's own internal guidelines views as acceptable. The bank says the chance of receiving a counterfeit bill is a small fraction of one per cent.

But it knows even a few fakes can hurt confidence in the currency.

The Bank of Canada credits its phased-in introduction of upgraded security features for part of the drop in overall counterfeiting. Metallic holographic stripes, watermark portraits, colour-shifting threads, a see-through number, and enhanced fluorescence under ultraviolet lighting are just some of the new features the central bank has added to try to foil would-be forgers. But it's an ongoing battle as the currency printers try to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters who take quick advantage of every advance in copying, scanning and printing technology. A further banknote redesign is scheduled, beginning in 2011.



Security features


The $5 bill was the last in the current series of currency notes to get its security upgrade. The new $5 note was released into general circulation on Nov. 15, 2006.

The enhanced security features of the new $5 note build on earlier enhancements introduced in 2002.
With the release of the upgraded $5 note, all of the bills in the current Canadian Journey series have received their security upgrades. Here's how the features look on some of the other notes:

© Bank of Canada/Banque du Canada. The new $100 bill was introduced in March 2004

© Bank of Canada/Banque du Canada. The new $20 bill was unveiled in August 2004

1. When the bill is tilted, brightly coloured numerals (100) and maple leaves will "move" within the holographic stripe. There is a colour-split within each maple leaf.

2. Watermarked portrait. Hold the note to a light and a small ghost-like image of the portrait appears to the left of the large numeral (100).

3. Windowed colour-shifting thread. Hold the note to the light and a continuous, solid line appears. From the back of the note, the thread resembles a series of exposed metallic dashes that shift from gold to green when the bill is tilted.

4. See-through number. Hold the note to the light and the irregular marks on the front and back will form a perfectly aligned number 100.

The bank unveiled a new $50 bill on October 13, 2004 and put it into circulation a month later.

© Bank of Canada/Banque du Canada. The new $50 bill was unveiled in October 2004

In 2005, the Bank of Canada upgraded the $10 note.



New Canadian $100 Bill Introduced


High-tech Security Features in New Canadian $100 Bill




The Bank of Canada has unveiled a newly designed $100 bill. On March 17, 2004, 120 million copies of the new bill began circulating. The bill incorporates new high-tech security features and is designed to be easier for visually impaired people to identify. The $100 bill is the third in the Canadian Journey Series of bank notes which celebrates Canadian history, culture, and achievements.


Features Against Counterfeiting


In addition to the standard security features incorporated in all Canadian bank notes, the new $100 bill has new anti-counterfeiting features including a metallic holographic stripe, a watermarked portrait, a windowed colour-shifting thread and a see-through number.


Help for Visually Impaired


To help people with vision problems, the new $100 bill uses raised dots, large, high-contrast numerals, and codes that can be read by a portable electronic reader distributed by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.



Exploration and Innovation Design


Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden still appears on the front of the $100 bill, although it's a new picture.

The back of the bill has changed from a picture of the Canada goose to a collage celebrating exploration and innovation.

The Bank of Canada has also introduced a new $20 bill and $50 bill.
Canadian $20 Bill Highlights Works of Haida Artist Bill Reid
A new Canadian $20 bill went into circulation on September 29, 2004. The $20 bill is the fourth in the Canadian Journey Series of bank notes which celebrate Canadian history, culture, and achievements. Like the new $100 bill introduced in March 2004, the $20 bill incorporates enhanced security features which make it difficult to copy and easy to verify.

Anti-Counterfeit Features of Canadian $20 Bill
Anti-counterfeiting features used in the $20 bill include

• a holographic stripe
• a watermark portrait
• a windowed security thread
• a see-through number
• raised print
• fine-line printing
• fluorescence



Design of Canadian $20 Bill


The portrait and watermark on front of the $20 bill are of Queen Elizabeth II.
The theme of the $20 bill is Canadian arts and culture, and the works of Canadian artist Bill Reid are shown on the back of the bill.

• Bill Reid was a Haida sculptor who carved in many media, including silver, gold, wood and argillite, and also cast in bronze. Bill Reid was active in native rights issues and was especially involved in the preservation of the history of South Moresby in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Artworks of Bill Reid shown on the $20 bill are "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii," "The Raven and the First Men," "The Grizzly Bear," and "Mythic Messengers."



How to determine if your note is real


How to determine if your note is real ("Birds Of Canada" Notes)



1) Optical Device (top left) - In the real note, the optical device changes colour from gold to green and back to gold. In the fake note where this device is present the "100" is sometimes missing and the gold optical device has a very muted gold look but does not change colours back and forth in the same fashion as a real note.

2) Planchettes (Green Dots) - The green dots are found everywhere on the banknote and can be easily removed with a sharp object. Also, the green dots have a flourescent glow under ultra-violet light. The fake notes show these planchettes as darker in most cases and sometimes as a dark gray.

3) Raised Ink Printing (Intaglio Printing) - This is my favourite feature of Canadian banknotes. Even an old and wrinkled Canadian banknote can be given the next test which I use on a daily basis to quickly determine if a worn out note is genuine or when a note does not pick up on my counting machine. I scratch along the printed surface of the banknote where on a real note I will actually feel the ridges along the portrait figures clothing, the large denomination number on the left or the coat of arms.

4) Micro Lines - Another ultimate feature which many Canadians do not even know existed on these notes. All along the edges on the front of the note have these thousands of little tiny lines going towards the outer edges of the paper. Put one of these old notes near your eyes and see the little spider-web like lines creating patterns that are really invisible otherwise. This is an ultimate feature which is impossible to reproduced by any reproduction technique.

5) Microprinting - This is another security feature which if reproduced looks like a blur. If you can't read the microprinting throughout the note, don't accept it. The notes produced by the Bank of Canada will have microprinting which when looked at close up one can read the various security features - i.e, "Bank of Canada", or 100 or any other micro printed inscription.

6) Serial Numbers - If one gives you a bunch of notes that have the same serial number then you know you have an issue on your hands. Canadian banknotes always have serial numbers on the left and right hand side of the banknotes (on the back in recent releases).

7) Colour - A counterfeit note still has a look that screams FAKE. The authentic note, even if washed, still has this brilliance to it. The lines on the portrait is still solid. The note still has a feel of authenticity. The counterfeit is always dull, always heavy in colour (darker or lighter) and never with that brilliance that is created by the Bank of Canada printing process. Look at the planchettes. Try to find the micro-printed lines on the border. Look at the optical device.



How to determine if your note is real ("Canadian Journey" Notes)




1) Holographic Stripe - When you tilt an authentic note the holographic stripe will change back and forth into millions of different colours. It will seem to you that the embedded denominational number 100 (for example) and the maple leaf moves every time you tilt or move that particular area.

They can even look as if they are moving towards you. There are also tiny microprinted denominational numbers within the hologram and the maple leaf is split with different colour schemes.

On the counterfeit there are two types of holographic stripes that I have seen so far. Some lower end fakes have just a silver bar on the left hand side of the note with no microprinting or any attempt at adding some form of image within the stripe. That is the first sign of a fake for these notes and should never be accepted. The other type of holographic strip that I have seen is pretty good but as they say, not good enough. These more sophisticated counterfeits try to mimick the security features that are found in the real thing but the colour of the fake hologram remains dull silver throughout. If your note does not have that rainbow effect and the movement of the other holographic images within the stripe then you have a fake on your hands.

These notes have an added security feature on the holographic notes that are rarely properly reproduced on a counterfeit. That is, the denominational number is Intaglio printed on the top part of the stripe and the coat of arms is "perfectly" intaglio printed on the bottom of the note. The reason that I wrote "perfectly" is that on the fakes, the printing on the holographic stripe sometimes gets blurred and usually the denominational value on the top is not present or looks extremely poor if present.

The portrait figures hair is also embeded in the hologram. Look closely and see how the portrait and the hologram kind of intertwine together. There is not a counterfeit out there that will spend the time to make the note as perfect as the real thing due to the fact that they know that most Canadians don't know a real from a fake. And, they are correct.

2) Watermark - On the right hand side of the note there is a watermark with an image of the portrait figure of the note. Put the note up towards a light source and you will see the image along with the denominational value of the note. Fakes do not have this watermark and often on the fake note, this area is a little darker than the authentic note.

3) Security Thread - Again, hold the money up to a light source and you will see the denominational value and the term "CAN" (i.e. Canada) running along the stripe. On the $100 bill you will see "CAN 100 CAN 100 CAN 100" all along the stripe and on the back this stripe - gold in colour - looks like it is interwoven into the note (partially visible) with the same inscriptions as the front. Beware, on fake notes, the back of the note has the interwoven stripe visible but often times it is painted with gold paint or is poorly reproduced in the paper itself.

4) Jig-Saw Puzzle "See-Through" Number - Between the watermark and the large numerals on the right of the note you will see a partial number. Also, on the back of the note there is the presense of a partial number at the exact same spot as the front. When held up to light, these two numbers align to create a perfect denominational value. In this case it would make out the number "100."

5) Raised Ink Printing (Intaglio Printing) - Run your fingers along various parts of the note and feel the raised ink. This note has many areas that are intaglio printed. The "100" top left on hologram, the coat of arms on the hologram bottom left, the Bank of Canada inscription on the left verticle area, the maple leaves microprinted within the large denominational number on the right are all intaglio printed for your security.

6) Fine-Line Printing - Look at your bank note and notice that this series has more fine lines than any other Canadian banknote series and are visible on close inspection on both sides. Look at it up close on both sides. Those fine lines can not be reproduced on a fake note regardless of the technology that counterfeiters utilize.

7) Microprinting - The large denominational number on the right is a great security feature in and of itself. Look into the large denominational number and you will see tiny maple leafs and tiny denominational value of the note in a slanted horizontal position. The added security bonus is that the tiny maple leaves are intaglio printed which makes them 3D to the touch. Also, a combination of Fine-Line Printing and Microprinting can be seen throughout the note where there are little tiny banners sticking out of the note centre going towards the surface with the denominational value printed with alphanumeric printing and in both French and English. This feature is impossible to print on a fake.

8) Fluorecent Secret Image - Under a fluorescent light there is a secret image that glows right on top of the portrait image. On the $100 note the image shows the words "Banque Du Canada 100 Bank Of Canada" in a yellow and red tone. The fibres in the paper also glow red and yellow under this type of light.

9) Serial Numbers - These numbers are printed on the back of the note.

10) Visually Impaired Security Marks - On all the Canadian Journey notes there are various braille-like marks on the top right of the bill in order for the visually impaired to determine the value of the notes.

11) Colours - Have you noticed the colour on the new Canadian Journey's notes. Are they not the most beautiful colour you have ever seen on a banknote. Just look at the colour of a real note - uncirculated or damaged - and see that the colour is quite appealing to the eye. There is no way for a reproduction to even come close to matching the brilliant and crisp colour on the authentic notes.


THE ULTIMATE TEST - If you suspect that a note a customer gave you is a counterfeit but the customer insists it is real you should take the note and place it in water. Pick it up and watch it disintegrate the way a piece of paper would when placed in water for a while. A real note does not react like that in water. Ink on a fake note may smear but will never smear or run on an authentic note.


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