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Bogus greenbacks from North Korea close to 'perfect'
TOKYO -- Kim Il-nam's first encounter with counterfeit U.S. currency was embarrassing. On an overseas trip several years ago, the North Korean diplomat took a $100 bill from a wad of more than $7,000 he had received from the Trade Bank in Pyongyang to the front desk of his hotel."I had to buy some toiletries, so I asked the cashier at the hotel front desk to change one of the new bills," said Mr. Kim, who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity since defecting. "She took my note away and returned, saying, 'Sir, this is fake.' I felt like a criminal and protested to the Trade Bank when I got back to Pyongyang." Things are different now. A new generation of fake "supernotes," far harder to detect, has appeared, counterfeiting experts say. Posted by: Dave D. 2007-04-01 |
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