New $200 bill

[jsalcedo]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/doc_o_day/doc_o_day.html?yhnws





SEPTEMBER 12--North Carolina cops are searching for a guy who successfully passed a $200 bill bearing George W. Bush's portrait and a drawing of the White House complete with lawn signs reading "We like ice cream" and "USA deserves a tax cut." The phony Bush bill--a copy of which you'll find below--was presented to a cashier at a Food Lion in Roanoke Rapids on September 6 by an unidentified male who was seeking to pay for $150 in groceries. Remarkably, the cashier accepted the counterfeit note and gave the man $50 change. In a separate incident involving a different perp, Roanoke Rapids cops Tuesday arrested Michael Harris, 24, for attempting last month to pass an identical $200 Bush bill at a convenience store. (3 pages)

 

[Kharn]

A few months after the 2000 elections, someone paid for $3 worth of food at a Taco Bell with one of the $200 bills. Cashier rung it up as being given $200, gave him his change and off he went, with the Secret Service putting up notices saying they wanted to talk to him a few days after that. The funny thing was, I dont think it was actually illegal, as the guy never said it was money and the note didnt say it was legal tender so the clerk effectively bartered for a piece of paper.

Kharn

 

[Mark Tyson]

You know it takes some serious stones to pull a stunt like this ... that or a serious lack of brains. Anyway it's pretty funny.

 

[Blain]

This is what happens in a society which holds value in paper instead of real assets like gold.

 

[JeepDriver]

Did you notice the 'Right to bear arms' on the left side of the bill?

 

[MLH]

Is this really counterfeiting?

Since there is no such thing as a $200 bill and it says nothing about being legal tender?

 

[ACP]

I would say that's counterferting. It's an almost exact reproduction of a US bill, and is being used to make purchases. Makes no difference if the criminal announced it was fake or not. And who is STUPID enough to accept something like that across the counter?

 

[Coronach]

Its not counterfeiting in the same way that going into a bank and passing a note that says "GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR MONEY" is not robbery.

Blain...do you prefer to carry gold coins around with you all day long? And how do you plan to test the purity of currency offered to you in return? Bite it?

Mike

 

[El Tejon]

Geez, guys, yes, it's a violation of several state and federal statutes if proven.

Cor, I test the purity of my gold by pressing it against my tinfoil hat. If it does not dent the hat, it is real gold. What method do you use?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Yes, it's counterfeiting. It becomes counterfeiting at the point when the individual attempts to pass it as an actual note.

Quite frankly, though, I'd like to see the guy get a medal for chuptzha (sp?), and the two cashiers boots to the a** for absolute mind numbing, knuckle dragging moronity.

 

[hops]

Think he'll have good odds at a presidential pardon, if convicted?

No wonder they want to automate the checkout stands.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Opinion

Intent.
I think that would be key.

Possession likely no problem, using one with intent to defraud nuther colored horse.

Sam

 

[BenW]

Possession likely no problem, using one with intent to defraud nuther colored horse.

Interestingly, we got a new color copier in my office last year. It's one of Xerox's top of the line models, and apparently so good at reproducing, that with the right paper it can easily counterfeit currency. The Xerox rep told me that due to their machines being used in the past to counterfeit, they had to put a currency recognition routine in the software. If anyone tries to run off a copy of any US currency, the event is both noted in the machine's internal log and a notification email is sent to a Xerox center.

So in this case possession apparently becomes a problem. I agree with Sam that it shouldn't be, especially since I have a $3 Clinton bill sitting on my desk at work.

edited for my lack of ability to spell counterfeit.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Think there is a big difference tween copying real currency and makin your own original design from scratch.

Copying is a no no. Even pics in magazines have to be substantially different size.

Monoply money, I think, no sweat as long as one does not attempt to gain from it.

Parker Bros gain from the game, not from the money within.

Sam

 

[4v50 Gary]

Wouldn't mind having one.

Any laws against forging foreign postage stamps? Heck, might as well make some English Black Pennys. By and by though and on a more serious note, if one is a skilled engraver, it's certainly a poor use of talent to forge bills. Doing time is no fun.

 

[feedthehogs]

The people who accepted this bill as real should be awarded the "Tinfoil Hat Award". Complete with extra box of foil when the reception starts to fade.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Y kant yew awl C wut a reel kinspeeracy pappur munney is? They---yew now, the fedurul gubmint---put mine kuntrol deevises insid tha munny to mak yew stoopid and pay yor tackses. This $200hunnnerd dollur Bill is a gubmint plowt to cach peepul who doo thar partz to bee free peepul and mak thur own munny. Yew all R sheep if yew downt mak yer own munny. i bye kidzes bored gamz and takz tha munny owt and spendz it jest fin. i uze it to payd fer ma sisterz DeeNA test wen she wast pregnun. i knewed thet chil wuz not mind. C if yew awl culd bee az smawrt az mee yew awl wuld knot be setch slavs tew th gubmin.

 

[pax]

Wouldn't mind having one.

Yes, but would you pay $200 for it?

pax

Man is the only animal that can be skinned more than once. -- Jimmy Durante

 

[LostOneToo]

It amazes me that cashiers would accept a $200 bill in the first place. How stupid can one be?

I am fairly certain that human intelligence peaked out sometime in the 1950's and has been on a downhill slide since then.

 

[keederdag]

Ah...#$%$ I just got took for six new tinfoil hats man. You guy's aint funny. If Gore won, he'd make sure I was reimbursed for my pile of 200$ bills.

 

[TheBluesMan]

Originally posted by LostOneToo:

I am fairly certain that human intelligence peaked out sometime in the 1950's and has been on a downhill slide since then.

You are partially correct.

The collective intelligence of humankind peaked sometime in the 1950s and has remained constant ever since. Unfortunately, the population of Earth is continuing to increase...

There's only so much to go around. Sumbuddy's gonna git stuk shore't.

 

[jimpeel]

Several years ago there was a Black comedian -- I believe Godfrey Cambridge -- who had a "run" for President; sort of like Pat Paulson used to do every election season. One of the things he had as a campaign item was a fake one dollar bill with his picture on it. Unfortunately, people soon found that they could put them into one dollar change machines and get a dollar's worth of change.

The SS was not happy about this and the bills were soon collected and destroyed. There are still a few on the collector market but I don't know if the SS still considers them counterfeit.

 

[4570Rick]

This is simple. The idiot who took in the $200 bill should sue the public edumacation instamatutions for limiting the potential lifetime income.

Ought to be worth a couple hundred bucks. :banghead:

 

[Snake Eyes]

yew now, the fedurul gubmint---put mine kuntrol deevises insid tha munny to mak yew stoopid and pay yor tackses. This $200hunnnerd dollur Bill is a gubmint plowt

I hate to establish myself in the above speakers family tree, but I have to admit that my first thought on seeing the bill was that this was the administrations new solution to paying for the war in Iraq. And Afgahnistan, And maybe North Korea. Quite possibly Iran. And whoever's next on W's list.

I am fairly certain that human intelligence peaked out sometime in the 1950's and has been on a downhill slide since then.

If you want something interesting to do sometime, check out birthrates in the US sorted by the parents income level.

 

[Pendragon]

If anyone tries to run off a copy of any US currency, the event is both noted in the machine's internal log and a notification email is sent to a Xerox center.

This sounds like something they would tell you to discourage the practice.

While theoretically possible, I would bet money it is untrue.

1st - where is the profit motive or mandate to do this?

2nd - while a lot of printers have network connections, not all networks are on the internet and even if the printer started sending alert packets, they are likely to be blocked by a firewall or encounter a host of other problems trying to contact Xerox.

3rd - money is not actually printed on regular paper - its more like fabric and it is not available to the general public and has numerous security featured built in.

4th real money - the new money at least, has a water mark that a printer will not generate, even if you find a good paper substitute.


Kids have been copying money and using it in electronic changers for over 15 years. The scanners in those changers are NOT sophisticated although I suspect they are getting better. Who would be dumb enough to risk federal charges for a can of soda? Besides a school kid?

Also - I see something about legal tender in that bill - While I think it would be fun to proffer the idea that the clerks were bartering for a novelty piece of paper, if they find the guy, he is toast.