A North Korean general who is a confidant of the country’s leader, Kim Jong-il, has been identified by U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies as a key figure in the covert production and distribution of high-quality counterfeit $100 bills called supernotes, according to documents and interviews with intelligence officials.

North Korean Gen. O Kuk-ryol, who was recently promoted to the country’s powerful National Defense Commission, and several of his family members are said to be in charge of producing the fake $100 bills, which are so carefully crafted that they are difficult to tell apart from real U.S. banknotes.

A foreign-government report obtained by The Washington Times from a diplomatic source in Washington said Gen. O has emerged in recent months as one of the most powerful military figures in the North Korean regime and the person in charge of arranging the succession of Mr. Kim by his third son, Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in August and has appeared in public recently looking thin and frail.

The information about the general in the report was confirmed by a senior U.S. intelligence official as well as by other current and former officials with knowledge of North Korean activities. They asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Although North Korea has been linked to counterfeiting for many years, the report is unusually detailed in its account of how North Korea is using illegal activities to raise hard currency for use by the regime and Mr. Kim. The new details were disclosed as the United Nations considers additional economic sanctions against North Korea for an underground test of a nuclear weapon last week.

An assistant to North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sin Son Ho, rejected any allegation of counterfeiting. “As far as I know, this has already been, how to say, rejected by my government,” the assistant, who asked not to be named, said in New York. “We have nothing to do with counterfeiting of American money. This was stated by my officials several times.”

He said many European nations, including Germany, have not found any truth to the North Korean counterfeiting reports. “We have never been involved in illegal activities such as counterfeiting. We lack the equipment,” he said.

The first North Korean counterfeit supernote was found by a cashier in Manila in 1989, said U.S. Secret Service officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. In 1994, North Korean trading company officials carrying diplomatic passports of North Korea were arrested after depositing $250,000 in supernotes in Banco Delta Asia in Macao, the officials added.

In the United States, North Korean supernotes have been traced to Las Vegas. In the case of Chen Chiang Liu, a Los Angeles resident who was convicted in federal court in September of conspiracy to sell and pass counterfeit currency, the supernotes he used looked authentic enough to trick bill validators in casino slot machines.

Washington Post

An Atlanta man was convicted Friday for killing his live-in girlfriend over counterfeit money.

A Fulton County jury found Samuel Bell, 57, guilty of fatally shooting 47-year-old Cathy Denune on April 5, 2008. Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville immediately sentenced Bell to life plus 25 years.

According to testimony from the couple’s roommate, Bell became enraged when he couldn’t find some counterfeit money he’d bought, and shot Denune once in the chest.

The roommate, who was in a nearby room, rushed Denune to the hospital, where she died.

Bell fled to Florida, where he was later arrested after a high-speed chase, authorities said.

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The next time you are in a relationship, make sure to have a counterfeit detector with you, so you can avoid a horrible situation such as this one.

Jamaica, New York - On Sunday, CBP officers encountered a passenger arriving from Seoul, Korea who was in possession of two counterfeit $100,000 bills.

The rare 1934 U.S. notes, which date back to the Great Depression, were originally produced to be circulated between the Federal Reserve Banks and never circulated among the general public. Historically, counterfeit U.S. currency has been used for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, arms sales, and terrorist activity.

The 1934 Woodrow Wilson Gold certificate is the largest denomination of U.S. currency printed. The bills, originally printed as a means for the U.S. Treasury to account for gold that was turned over from Federal Reserve Banks, were never intended for public circulation. According to the Smithsonian Institute, the printing on the bill includes the phrase, "This is to certify that there is on deposit in the Treasury of the United States of America One Hundred Thousand Dollars in Gold payable to bearer on demand as authorized by law."

The passenger, who remains unnamed for privacy reasons, declared that he was carrying money over $10,000 on his CBP declaration. The passenger, who is a Korean national, was referred for a secondary baggage exam in order to complete the required documentation for compliance with currency reporting laws.

During the interview, the passenger told CBP officers that he was carrying two $100,000 notes. When asked how he acquired the uncirculated bills, the passenger stated that he found them in one of his father’s old books and intended to travel to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in Maryland to exchange the notes for smaller denominations.

The $100,000 bills were deemed counterfeit, and turned over to the Secret Service for further investigation into the origin of the bills. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforces currency reporting requirements for money entering and leaving the United States in order to stem illicit criminal activity,” said Robert E. Perez, director of field operations for CBP in New York. “In this case, however, it appears that the passenger believed that the currency was legitimate, declared it upon his entry to the U.S. as required by law, and as a result, will not face criminal charges in this case.”

It is legal to transport any amount of currency or other monetary instruments into or out of the United States, however, U.S. currency reporting laws require you to report any money equivalent to $10,000 or more to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This simple one page form is known as the FinCEN Form 105, and is available online or at any port of entry. For more information on Currency reporting laws please visit the CBP Travel Web site.
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The next time you get handed an $100,000 bill be sure to have a counterfeit detector. In many reports such as this, the victim isn’t even aware that they have a counterfeit bill, but you can’t blame him for not checking. Who wouldn’t want such a big bill on their hands?

Business owners and store clerks should be on the lookout for fake $20 bills that are popping up in the Madison area.

The most recent incident of bogus money being used was Wednesday night when someone tried to buy items at a Kelley Williamson Mobil mart with a counterfeit $20 bill.

The store is at 3019 E. Washington Ave., and the attempted fraud happened about 11 p.m.

Madison police said a man entered the store, selected a bag of chips and a cigar and wanted to pay for the items with a $20 bill.

“The clerk immediately could tell the bill was a fake and told the customer so,” said police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

The customer agreed to put the items back and left the store.

A second man then entered the store, police said.

“He asked the clerk why he wouldn’t take the $20 bill, and the clerk told him the same thing, that the bill was a fake,” DeSpain said.

Both men got into a car and drove away.

A week ago, Maurice Holt was arrested on the city’s north side for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 to make purchases at a PDQ store, and items found in his car may have been used to manufacture counterfeit money.

“There have been many reports from different areas of Madison involving perpetrators trying to buy items using counterfeit money,” DeSpain said. “The police urge clerks and business owners to be alert to the crime trend.
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Counterfeit money is still going strong. Fake bills are becoming more common with the times we are in. We highly urge you to get yourself a counterfeit detector in these tight economic times. One swipe of the pen is all it takes to insure that the money you are getting is real, and to help the fight against counterfeit money.

It’s an age-old crime that police say is experiencing a revival in these tough economic times.

Authorities in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Pittsfield Township are all reporting a surge in counterfeit money being passed to area retailers and restaurants this year.

In Ann Arbor, police are investigating 14 cases where people used fake bills at local grocery stores, gas stations and fast-food restaurants since Jan. 1, Detective Laura Burke said.

“It’s not a new crime at all, but to have this much of it pop up at one time is certainly unusual,” Burke said.

Her findings will be turned over to the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates all federal currency crimes.

Last week, University of Michigan police took two reports of counterfeit $20 bills passed at the U-M Medical Center cafeteria on separate days, spokeswoman Diane Brown said. Both people who used the bills told police they received them from an ATM or retailer in the area, and they’re not considered suspects, she said.

Pittsfield Detective Lt. Steve Heller said his agency is looking into eight counterfeit incidents since last August, six of which occurred since Jan. 1. Ypsilanti Police are working on four to five active counterfeit cases.

The denomination and quality of the fake bills ranges significantly, making investigators unsure whether any of the incidents are connected. In two cases Burke is investigating, she said people unwittingly passed counterfeit bills after receiving them as change from another business.

Some bogus bills don’t appear illegitimate even at first glance, Burke said, showing one example of two green-colored sheets of paper glued back-to-back that was passed at a restaurant. But others can trick even experienced eyes, such as a $5 bill on legitimate U.S. Treasury paper that was “washed” with bleach and altered to appear as a $100 bill.

“If you’re looking at it just by itself without anything to compare it to, it would probably pass,” Burke said. “And if you’re busy and have a long line of customers, you may not think twice about it.”

Police say that’s what happened at Busch’s on Ann Arbor’s north side when a man purchased a pack of bottled iced tea with a counterfeit $50 bill and received a handful of authentic cash back on Jan. 15. Police are trying to identify the man and say he may have used other fake bills around Ann Arbor on different occasions.

Officials with Busch’s declined to comment.

Stores appear to be getting more vigilant, working with police on the latest counterfeiting techniques and improving their own detection systems.

“We’re acutely aware of the problem and are changing our security techniques to adapt,” said Hiller’s Market CEO Jim Hiller. “This is not a victimless crime because all the rest of the customers end up paying for it in the end. There’s no insurance policy for this.”

Four counterfeit bills have been passed in Hiller’s seven stores around southeast Michigan since the beginning of the year.
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It is more important now then ever to make sure you are getting real dollar bills in these tough economic times. The economy unfortunately has been going on a downward spiral for the past year and does not seem to be slowing down. There is no easier way to be safe with money other then by using the counterfeit detector pen. One swipe is all it takes to make sure the money you are getting is real.

If you are handling money for yourself or a business, it is very important that you keep your money safe. Cash boxes are a very useful tool for helping you do that. Keeping your money safe is important for anybody that works at flea markets, garage sales, roadside stands, or any type of stores. It is easy for your money to get swiped if you don’t have a safe place to keep it. Cash boxes are also a good idea to have for any businesses that deals with large amounts of money, because you can hide your bigger bills in the cash box as opposed to the cash register or safe which are easy targets for a robbery. Cash boxes are also a useful tool to help keep you organized and protect all your cash and documents from fire and water. With our low economic times, keeping your money safe has never been more relevant and important.

If you’ve been following the news these past months like everyone else, you’re probably incredibly shocked too at the complete disregard that bankers and other Wall Street establishments have shown your money. While these people have been throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars on spa weekends, the artists and sculptors below have been doing something entirely different with their money. At least in this case if the economy hits them hard, they can sell their work, most likely for more than they put into it. This is just another amazing example of extraordinary artworks made from ordinary objects.

If you think somebody has been “too creative” with the money they are trying to hand you… may we recommend an awesome fraud fighting tool.

A leading security company has urged businesses handling foreign currency to be on the look out for counterfeit notes on the market.
Safeguard Engineering manager, Mr Patrick Mallon, said individuals and companies dealing in foreign currency needed to buy portable fake money detectors because a lot of counterfeit money was in circulation.
With the licensing of some shops to trade in foreign currency, a number of people now handle foreign currency. However, many people are not aware of the security features on foreign notes.
Mr Mallon said the most counterfeited notes were the US$5, US$20 and US$100, which were finding their way into supermarkets.
Mr Mallon said a fake money detector was the most effective way to check the authenticity of currency notes.
He said the portable detector had two features to show if a note was fake — an ultra violet light that shows up hidden fluorescent security features and a magnetism detector that detects the magnetic ink used on United States dollars, the euro and the British pound.
“The money detector is also capable of checking the authenticity of any currency even the local currency unit. Fuel coupons and both bank and personal cheques can be checked with the detector.
“The device’s portability allows for it to be carried around almost everywhere and can easily fit in a bag or pocket,” said Mr Mallon.
Although it is a requirement of the central bank that shops selling in foreign currency have note detector machines, some have yet to acquire them while in the streets, where most of the foreign currency is traded, such equipment is non-existent. Many counterfeits in circulation are meticulously done and need more than mere eye inspection to pick out.
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We specialize in counterfeit products,such as the Ultra Violet Detector. The UV Light can be used to authenticate credit cards, traveler’s checks, US, Canadian, Euro, and most foreign currencies. You can never be too sure of how authentic the money you are getting is without a counterfeit detector .

The counterfeit pen helped get a man arrested for using a 20$ bill in New York. Counterfeiting money is a trend that unfortunately looks like it will not be stopping any time soon.

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. — To the eye, this may look like a real $20 bill, but upon closer inspection it’s clear that it’s counterfeit. It’s one of many bills New Hartford Police obtained last Wednesday after an incident at a local Staples.

Mohammad Masood Bahrami, 20, attempted to purchase printer paper and equipment with counterfeit money, equipment police say he intended to use to make fake bills. When suspicion arose, police say he left the business, but was followed by the store manager.

“He runs out, sees the person get into his vehicle. Got the plate down and notified us of the description of the person, the vehicle, and the plate number,” said New Hartford Police Investigator Richard Salamone.

Which led to Bahrami’s arrest and a search of his home. Police obtained his computer and printer, along with the remaining counterfeit money.

With modern technology, police say it’s easier to try and pass off fake money, however most people don’t actually put it into circulation.

“There’s not a lot of them that go forward and try passing them afterwards, but it does happen, yes. That’s why all the merchants have that pen to detect whether it’s counterfeit or real,” said Salamone.

That pen is what tipped the store clerk that it was indeed a counterfeit bill. Strangely enough, Bahrami had the real bill the whole time.

“This is the real $20 bill that he made copies of, and he was in possession of the real one the same time as the counterfeit one,” said Salamone.

Bahrami was charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument, along with petit larceny.

Bahrami is scheduled to reappear in New Hartford Town Court Tuesday afternoon where he could face additional charges.

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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Walton Beach Police Department have arrested more than a dozen people to date in connection with an investigation into the distribution of counterfeit currency in south Okaloosa County.

The charges range from uttering counterfeit U.S. currency to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute the fake money.

Several search warrants have been conducted since the investigation began in mid-to-late summer. One of the searches led to the discovery of four firearms, including an AK-47 assault rifle.

Three of the weapons had been reported as stolen. The search of the residence also turned up more than 100 grams of cocaine and a case of ammunition for the AK-47.

That particular search led to the arrests of 17-year old Aubrey Joseph and 39-year old Pamela Stoudmire of Fort Walton Beach on September 30th, 2008.

Others arrested so far in connection with the investigation are:
* 33-year old Raymond Forrest Lawson, 611 Manor Ct., F.W.B.
* 39-year old Julie Renee Gomez, 832 Oakridge St., F.W.B.
* 23-year old Laderius Jermaine Jackson ,102 Burned Out Bridge Rd., Baker
* 22-year old John Harry Larimer, 121 Berger Pl., F.W.B.
* 17-year old Kyndric Dallas Wilson, 479 Sara Ave., Mary Esther
* 22-year old Shera Cherelle Morris, 54 9th Ave., Shalimar
* 31-year old Tajuana Latrice Feagin, 538 Parkview Lane, F.W.B.
* 23-year old James Saltaformaggio, of Boutte, Louisiana
* 22-year old Kennon Lottinger, of Luling, Louisiana
* 33-year old Dennis Ronaldo Hunter of 223 Highway Ave, F.W.B.
* 22-year old Larence Daniel Bloxson, 125 Second Ave., F.W.B.
Additional warrants are pending. Because this an active, ongoing investigation, no other details will be released at this time.

TIPS FOR DETECTING COUNTERFEIT MONEY

The best way to detect a counterfeit is to know your currency.

Here are some of the simplest detection methods:

1. Feel the paper. That’s usually the first giveaway. A counterfeit will often be “floppier” than the real thing or just feel strange.

2. Hold the note up to the light. Most banks carry a watermark and thread. A thread always appears as a solid line when viewed and good watermark detail should be seen.

3. The print quality on a genuine note will be crisp and defined.

4. With a magnifying glass you should be able to read any microtext messages.

5. The color on a genuine note will be clear and well defined and the metallic ink area will have a sheen.

6. Depending on how much you handle money, you can purchase a counterfeit detector to mark a suspect bill. The marks from these pens should show up clear if the bill is real, dark if it’s counterfeit. Many retailers use these pens.

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