Second polymer bank note issued

The Bank of Canada just released the second note in its new polymer series of bills with state-of-the-art security features. Now that the $100 and $50 bank notes are in circulation, the $20 bill will be introduced later this year and the remaining $5 and $10 denominations will come out by the end of 2013.

Considered the most secure bank notes ever issued in Canada, the new polymer bills are designed with security features that are easy to verify and hard to counterfeit. While the number of counterfeit bills in circulation has dropped by 90% since 2004, the RCMP estimates that nearly $10 million in fake money is seized each year in Canada.

Free training materials and videos are available from the Bank of Canada to help retailers learn about Canadian bank notes and know how to deal with suspected counterfeit notes.

Tips for inspecting that the latest bank notes are for real:
• Feel for raised ink on the portrait’s shoulders, on the large number and the words Bank of Canada.
• Look through the large transparent window to see a detailed metallic portrait and a building that changes colour.
• Hold the transparent outline found in the frosted maple leaf up to a single source light to see a circle of numbers.
• Flip the note over to see the same images in the transparent window repeated in the same colours and detail on the back.