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In a
way, this recent innovation reminds me of the old story where the
con man from the big city stops off at a run-down rural service
station to get change for his counterfeit ten-dollar-bill.
(It's not until after he leaves he discovers the change was in
made with two three-dollar-bills and a four.)
In these cases, after repeatedly advancing funds and seeing no
results, the victim becomes aggressive and demands that at the very
least, it is time for the fraudster to show his
good faith by providing an advance to cover expenses and monies
advanced thus far.
In the past couple of years it has become more common for these
fraudsters to immediately agree to this proposal and arrange a
clandestine meeting with the victim to demonstrate the scam is real
by showing off some of the money. Usually the fraudster
arrives at a hotel room or other private setting with a couple of
fierce-looking bodyguards carrying a briefcase or suitcase purported
to contain $15 million or so.
Reportedly such displays can be quite impressive and readily
convince a skeptical victim things are on the up and up. Of
course since most folks haven't seen that much cash, victims usually
fail to note the discrepancy in volume.
The largest denomination of U.S. currency is a
hundred-dollar-bill. Simple math would indicate that it would
take 10,000 bills to make a million--or 150,000 bills to make $15
million. Figuring about 3 inches in height per 500 bills, $15
million would be a single stack of currency 900 inches high.
It seems unlikely that a pile of hundred-dollar-bills a little over
seventy-five feet high would fit in a carry-bag, no matter how it
was configured.
However, regardless of how much money is actually viewed by the
victim (and whether it is counterfeit or dyed) a problem invariably
comes up and the victim will never
walk out with any of this
cash, but rather will likely be convinced to provide further funds
to the fraudster before leaving this meeting.
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