Counterfeit currency on the rise in B.C.

Police in Metro Vancouver and around the province are warning about a spike in the amount of counterfeit money making the rounds.

Police in multiple B.C. jurisdictions are reporting concerning increases in the number of counterfeit bills being reported.

The North Vancouver RCMP is one of several departments that responded by sending out a warning to the public.

“We’ve noticed since the first of January 2026 we’ve had an uptick in reports of counterfeit fifties and hundred-dollar bills. We’ve had 11 reports to date,” says Const. Paul Reece of the North Vancouver RCMP.

In a recent release, Nanaimo RCMP say they have 17 reports of counterfeit currency being passed at businesses in the past two months.

In a similar situation, Sgt. Andrew Leaver says the New Westminster Police Department has seen 10 reports of counterfeit currency, up from two in the same period last year.

“Knowing that there’s counterfeit currency out there and that the numbers are increasing is very concerning,” says Leaver.

The fake bills are predominantly $50 and $100 denominations, and Leaver says most of them are being found at businesses that are used to handling cash.

“These reports have come to us from the casino, grocery stores, jewelry stores, and banks,” he said.

“We encourage businesses or anyone that’s dealing in cash to be vigilant, to know the immediate signs to look for when you’re handling cash and checking to see if currency is counterfeit or not.”

Canada has seen a massive spike in the number of counterfeit bank notes in recent years. According to a report from the RCMP, almost 47,000 counterfeit bills were seized in 2024. In 2025 that number tripled to just over 143,000.

The provisional statistics show 751 counterfeit Canadian bank notes were seized in B.C. in 2024. That number skyrockets in 2025, to more than 27,000 captured in the province.

The amount of bills that were passed in transactions in the province nearly doubled as well. There were 2,061 in 2024, and 3,955 in 2025.

The Bank of Canada’s website shows what to look for to help identify fake bills, and police are encouraging anyone handling cash to make sure they’re familiar with the security features.

If someone does find themself in possession of a fake bill, the best option is to turn it over to police, or a financial institution. Knowingly passing a counterfeit bank note is a criminal offence, authorities warn.

“Given the numbers that we’re seeing being on the rise, there are likely people out there that are in possession of counterfeit money that they obtained legitimately,” Leaver says.

“They just don’t know what to do with it, so we encourage them to report it to us.”

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