Currency Counterfeiting Statistics

Overview

Counterfeiting in Canada includes not only the manufacture of false bank notes, but also forged credit cards, traveller's cheques, passports, and various identity documents.

Phoney identification has been used to obtain government assistance, personal loans, unemployment insurance benefits and to victimize governments, individuals and corporate bodies.

Counterfeit Bank Notes Passed and Seized -- Activity by Province - 2007

Province	Number seized	Number passed
Quebec	5,572	55,480
Ontario	14,933	53,329
Alberta	314	4,101
British Columbia	984	24,766
Newfoundland	2	238
Nova Scotia	0	1,537
Prince Edward Island	0	24
New Brunswick	28	248
Manitoba	52	1,153
Saskatchewan	130	608
Northwest Territories	0	16
Yukon Territories	3	1
Nunavut	0	1
Total	22,018	141,502

All financial loss, however, is traced back to the consumer who must pay higher prices as a result of counterfeiting. Technological advances in the printing process allow counterfeiters to improve their product and make law enforcement tasks more demanding.

Counterfeit Canadian Bank Notes Passed - By Denomination 2006/2007

2007
Bank Note	Number passed	Percent
$5	16,382	12%
$10	13,791	10%
$20	94,145	66%
$50	10,263	7%
$100	7,003	5%
$1000	17	0%
	Total 141,601 (Value $3,333,173)

2006
Bank Note	Number passed	Percent
$5	16,813	5.9 %
$10	64,301	22.4 %
$20	171,690	59.8 %
$50	18,749	6.5 %
$100	15,527	5.4 %
$1000	8	0.002%
	Total 287,088 (Value $6,659,048)

Total Number of Canadian Bank Notes Passed and Seized — 2007

Year	Total Number passed and seized
2007	163,520
2006	322,501
2005	422,447
2004	648,323
2003	497,625
2002	224,307
2001	136,212
2000	104,653
1999	110,761
1998	132,601
1997	109,918

Counterfeit Canadian Bank Notes - Passed and Seized -- 2004/2005/2006/2007

	2004 Seized	2004 Passed	2005 Seized	2005 Passed	2006 Seized	2006 Passed	2007 1 Seized	2007 Passed
$1,000	0	12	64	8	1	8	1	17
$100	12,615	33,424	3,351	29,068	5,648	15,527	3,754	7,003
$50	4,655	22,052	1,193	28,940	4,582	18,749	5,771	10,263,
$20	51,986	360,160	11,683	166,103	15,329	171,690	8,298	94,045
$10	25,568	123,400	2,959	164,982	9,262	64,301	3,257	13,791
$5	500	13,932	889	13,202	573	16,813	937	16,382

¹ Concluded files only

Technology Used to Reproduce Canadian Bank Notes - 2002-2007

	Offset	Toner / Polychrome	Inkjet
2007	1%	26%	73%
2006	1%	17%	82%
2005	1%	10%	89%
2004	1%	18%	81%
2003	1%	24%	75%
2002	1%	11%	88%

Prepared by: RCMP National Anti-Counterfeiting Bureau (NACB)

Links

• Canadian Bankers Association Credit Card Fraud
• Internet Crime Complaint Center Federal Bureau of Investigation and National White Collar Crime Center
• Please visit the
  Canadian Consumer Information Gateway