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Police across Saskatchewan are warning residents to stay alert for fraud during the holiday season, after a spike in counterfeit cash and continued reports of grandparent scams raised concern for investigators.
“They were polymer notes. They felt right,” Staff Sgt. Matthew Bradford of the Saskatoon Police Service Economic Crime Section said in an interview with Brent Loucks. “The big giveaway for these particular ones was they all had the same serial number.”
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Bradford said police have seen a sharp increase in counterfeit $100 bills entering Saskatoon over the past week, with about six incidents reported so far. He said investigators believed additional notes were likely still circulating.
The counterfeit bills were described as convincing enough to fool people at first glance, particularly during busy holiday shopping and private sales. Bradford said the fake notes were used in online buy-and-sell transactions and in retail settings.
One of the easiest ways to spot counterfeit bills, he said, was by comparing serial numbers. Legitimate Canadian bank notes each carry a unique serial number, but in the cases police investigated, the counterfeit bills often shared identical numbers.
Bradford also said the transparent window on the counterfeit notes provided another key clue. The metallic hologram elements were not integrated into the bill as they should have been; instead, they were applied as a sticker. He said people could often feel a raised edge along those metallic elements when running a finger across the window.
Similar counterfeit cases were reported in other provinces, including Alberta. Bradford said investigators were monitoring whether the supply of fake notes would decrease following the recent takedown of a counterfeit manufacturer in Quebec.
He said it was not yet known whether the counterfeit bills circulating in Saskatchewan were linked to that operation or whether other sources were involved, but police were hopeful the flow of fake currency would slow.
Bradford also addressed grandparent scams, which continued to target seniors across the province. In those cases, fraudsters pose as a grandchild or authority figure and claim an urgent need for money, often related to bail or legal trouble.
While some victims believed the voice on the phone sounded like a family member, Bradford said police had not found evidence that artificial intelligence voice cloning was commonly used in these scams. He said most of the calls were cold calls, often placed to landlines selected by postal code.
Bradford said fraudsters rely on panic and emotional manipulation, sometimes prompting victims to offer names or personal details that help reinforce the deception.
He stressed that no legitimate lawyer, court or government agency in Canada would ever ask for cash to be placed in an envelope and picked up by a courier.
Bradford said one of the simplest ways to protect against phone scams was screening calls. If the number was not recognized, he recommended letting it go to voicemail, noting legitimate callers would leave a message.
Police encourage residents to slow down during cash transactions and unexpected phone calls, and to talk with family members, particularly seniors, about common scams before they happen.
Anyone who’s been a victim of a scam should report it to police. Any suspect scams can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre collects information on fraud and identity theft and provides information on past and current scams affecting Canadians. As of June 30, 2025 it had recorded 17,094 fraud victims across the country with reported losses of $342 million.
Fraud reports can be made online here.
— with files by CJME News
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