This section features videos and training materials to help retailers learn about Canadian bank notes and know how to deal with suspected counterfeit notes.
Polymer bank notes are a good change for your business. They are more secure, more durable, and easy to check. But they’re also a significant change from the bank notes that you’re used to handling. Here’s how you can prepare for them.
Your machines like ABMs, cash counters, vending machines or self-serve checkouts may not be compatible with the new polymer notes. Visit the cash-handling machines tab to learn more.
Most counterfeits enter circulation at a retail point of sale. Polymer notes have leading-edge security features that are easy to check and hard to counterfeit, but they are effective only if you use them. Our free materials and training program can help you start out on the right track.
The Bank is working to remove paper notes from circulation as more denominations become available on polymer to minimize the amount of time that paper and polymer notes co-circulate. You can facilitate the removal of paper notes by:
A look at the security and design of the new $20 polymer bank note that features the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France.
Look at the innovative security features and design of the new $100 polymer note.
Also available as .mp4 (24 MB) and .wmv (36 MB)
Part 1: This is the first in a five-part series that looks at each step in the life cycle of a bank note. A new video will be posted each month until November.
Part 2: The process of developing a new series of bank notes doesn’t happen in isolation. Find out how Canadians have a say in selecting the designs that make our bank notes uniquely Canadian.
Part 3: It’s not a simple matter of starting the presses. With the introduction of longer-lasting polymer bank notes, the Bank of Canada is raising the bar on security and production quality. It’s also about meeting the demand for bank notes.
Part 4: The Bank works with Canada’s financial institutions to maintain Canada’s supply of bank notes. Find out how your money flows from the printers all the way to your wallet.
Part 5: It’s a long way off, but our polymer notes will eventually become worn and need to be destroyed and replaced. Even as the first polymer notes enter circulation, the Bank is already looking ahead to the end of their life cycle and it’s a ‘green news story.’
Host Monique offers a quick overview of the Bank's currency role in this excerpt from the corporate video, "Count on Us", which explores all of the Bank of Canada's functions.
Most fraud can be easily prevented with some simple know-how. The Fighting Fraud on the Front Lines video series provides easy-to-follow advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of bank note counterfeiting, debit card fraud, identity crime and cheque fraud. These materials will be of special interest to retailers, financial institutions and police officers.
Canadian bank notes have security features that are easy to check and hard to counterfeit. This video helps you verify bank notes, and informs cash handlers how to deal with suspicious notes.
Debit card fraud costs millions of dollars every year. It’s a threat that can hit anywhere. Consumers and retailers have an important role to play in reducing debit card fraud, and this video provides useful tips and advice.
Identity theft which is happening more and more frequently, is carried out in stores and banks, over the phone, and through the mail and the Internet. It’s a huge problem, with billions of dollars in losses every year. This video explains what you can do to minimize the risks.
Even with all our electronic payment options, cheques are still used for billions of payments every year. This makes them very attractive to fraudsters. The basic pointers in this video are all you need to avoid becoming a victim of cheque fraud.
The Bank provides free training seminars through our offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax. These presentations can be customized to suit your organization's needs and are occasionally presented in partnership with local police agencies. Topics include bank note security features, what to do with a suspected counterfeit, and how to handle polymer notes.
Duration: 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the content covered.
For more information, please call 1 888 513-8212.
The Bank of Canada offers free, postage-paid materials, but reserves the right to limit quantities.
The Bank may contact the requestor prior to shipping to verify that certain audience-specific resources are destined for the right users.
What to do if you suspect that you have been offered a counterfeit note during a transaction:
Assess the situation to ensure that you are not at risk. Then do the following:
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.
What to do if you suspect that a note is counterfeit after a transaction:
It is a criminal offence to knowingly pass counterfeit money.
Suspected Counterfeit Bank Notes and Forged Payment Cards
This RCMP form should be used by:
The Bank regularly surveys Canadian businesses and citizens to better understand how and why cash is used, by assessing awareness, attitudes, and behaviours with respect to bank notes.
Survey results allow the Bank to monitor its progress, identify potential issues or opportunities, and adapt its programs, tools and services, as needed.
Monitors the counterfeit-deterrence practices of cash-handling businesses across Canada, and their willingness to accept bank notes of various denominations.
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q4 2011
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q2 2011
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q4 2010
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q2 2010
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q4 2009
The National Retailer Research Program Results for Q2 2009