Police are alerting local businesses and residents about fake American $100 bills that have surfaced in recent weeks.

Const. John MacLeod said Halifax Regional Police have received about nine reports of the fake bills since late August.

“It kind of tends to come around in spurts. When someone shows up in the area with the bills, then they’ll start occurring,” said MacLeod.

“Someone is obviously currently in the area in possession of these bills, and is using them.”

Police say the bills were mostly used to make purchases in the Halifax area, with the majority used in Dartmouth.

They say Canada’s polymer banknotes have multiple security features that make them difficult to counterfeit, including raised ink on the front, a large window containing metallic symbols and images, a maple leaf border around the window, and a frosted maple leaf window.

American currency is made of a unique paper made with cotton and linen and contains a watermark, security threads and individual serial numbers, among other security features.

Police say it’s up to the person accepting the note to verify it’s real.


    “Passing counterfeit money is a crime and (you) may not be reimbursed if you unknowingly accept a counterfeit bill,” says a police statement.

    “Don’t become a victim — always check the security features in banknotes before accepting them.”

    Police urge anyone who believes they may have been given a fake bill to contact them.

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