MONEY FOR NOTHING: Fake banknotes not making single yen for counterfeiterThe Asahi Shimbun July 27
SAITAMA-Here's a counterfeiting case with a twist: Whoever is behind hundreds of fake 1,000-yen notes turning up in Saitama Prefecture isn't making any money out of the deal.
At least 421 ``doctored'' 1,000-yen bills have been recovered from vending machines in southern Saitama Prefecture since late May, according to the prefectural police, who are puzzled by the lack of profit motive.
The mystery lies in the fact that a genuine 1,000-yen bill is needed to produce a single bogus note, according to police.
Each bogus bill has three horizontally separated strips, but the narrow top and bottom parts are real. ....Imagine spending the time to cut up a 1,000-yen note, pasting it with color copies and putting it in a vending machine to purchase a drink and getting change? It would be much easier-and far less hassle-to insert a genuine 1,000-yen note.
Police suspect the counterfeiter may be a techno-geek who luxuriates in beating the counterfeit detection programs of vending machines.

You'd have to be prepared to accept a Taroyen with that smile beaming out at you.

This is goddam brilliant, a work of staggering genius. It's obvious what's going on. He cuts strips out of bills. Notice nobody said he's cutting the SAME strip out of each bill. More than likely, he's cutting a different strip out of each bill. And he's done it over 400 times. By now, he's got enough little strips from each part of the bill to piece together quite a few whole bills.

Charles wrote:This is goddam brilliant, a work of staggering genius. It's obvious what's going on. He cuts strips out of bills. Notice nobody said he's cutting the SAME strip out of each bill. More than likely, he's cutting a different strip out of each bill. And he's done it over 400 times. By now, he's got enough little strips from each part of the bill to piece together quite a few whole bills.

Now that really is genius.

I point you to MY CHILDHOOD EXPLOITS (last post there).

Hehehe

I can imagine it is either the thrill or the expertise/knowledge gained from these exploits that is inspiring this con artistry.[/url]