Superdollar
A superdollar is a very high quality counterfeit United States one hundred-dollar bill, alleged by the U.S. Government to have been made by unknown organizations or governments. In 2011, government sources stated that these "counterfeit bills were in worldwide circulation from the late 1980s until at least July 2000" in an extradition court case.
While there are many features on supernotes that can be detected with today's technology, new, more sophisticated supernotes are always being produced. No current technology can guarantee catching 100% of the supernotes in circulation.
Various groups have been suspected of creating such notes, and international opinion on the origin of the notes varies. The U.S. Government believes it most likely that the majority of these notes were produced in North Korea. Over $35 million of $100 bills were produced by British criminals arrested in 2002.
A new $100 bill design intended to thwart counterfeiting, incorporating a "3D security ribbon", colorshifting numerals and drawings, and microprinting, entered circulation in 2013.
Production
Supernotes are said to be made with the highest quality of ink printed on a cotton/linen blend, and are designed to recreate the various security features of United States currency, such as the red and blue security fibers, the security thread, and the watermark. Moreover, they are printed using an intaglio printing process or with engraved plates, the same process used by the U. S. Government for legitimate notes. In most counterfeiting, offset printing or color inkjet and laser printing are most common means of making counterfeit money.Experts who have studied supernotes extensively and examined them alongside genuine bills point out that there are many different varieties of supernotes. In 2006 the "family" of fraudulent bills was thought to have 19 members, but since 2006 producers of the supernotes have improved the product, and more varieties exist. Early versions of the fake notes, for example, lacked the bands of magnetic ink printed in distinctive patterns on different denominations of U.S. money; later counterfeits rectified this error. Several of the inconspicuous "mistakes" on the first supernotes were corrected, some several times.
On the genuine $100 bill, for example, the left base vertical line of the lamp post near the figure on the reverse of the $100 note is weak. The first supernotes printed this line too distinctly, rendering the counterfeit more authoritatively printed than the original. Later supernotes over-corrected this strong line by removing it altogether. Similarly, the hands of the clock on Independence Hall on the genuine bill extend slightly beyond the inner circle; on the supernotes they stop short of it.
On the front of the supernote, in the "N" in "UNITED STATES", a slash can be seen to the right of the diagonal and the right ascender of the letter; there is none on the genuine note. Other differences in vignetting and in the defining lines of the top ornament in Independence Hall have been observed. Klaus Bender and others have speculated that the counterfeiters introduced these differences to be able to distinguish their product from the original, but there is no obvious way to confirm this.
Arrests of United States distributors
In two sting operations running from 2002 to 2005, dubbed "Operation Smoking Dragon" and "Operation Royal Charm", United States agents arrested at least 87 people on charges that included smuggling superdollars. About $4.5 million in counterfeit currency was seized, much in $100 bills. No definitive origin for the counterfeit $100 bills was determined.Confirmed sources
British criminals
In 2005, British criminals, Anatasios Arnaouti and four others, were convicted of conspiracy to make counterfeit currency in the United Kingdom. They were arrested in 2002 after an operation that involved the U.S. Secret Service. The counterfeit currency recovered included $3.5 million worth of $100 bills, which Bank of England experts said were of excellent quality. The police stated that "The potential to undermine the economy of the UK and US was very significant."The printer admitted to making 350,000 $100 bills, $35 million, over 18 months. The gang were using equipment capable of printing £1 million per day, and boasted they were producing $500,000 in fake dollars a day.
Possible sources
North Korea
It has been confirmed that North Korea has passed off superdollars in various countries. The counterfeit bills also circulate both within North Korea and around its border with China. There is, however, some doubt about the reliability of North Korean defectors' claims, on which the United States partially bases its accusations, along with South Korean intelligence sources.The testimony of the North Korean defectors is considered by some to be suspect, and one witness has since gone into hiding after charges that he fabricated the story for money. These witnesses claimed that the factory where the notes are printed is located in the city of Pyongsong and is part of Room 39.
One defector had taken the notes to experts in the South Korean intelligence agency, who did not believe that they were fakes. The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed a North Korean chemist who described the operation; insisting on anonymity, he spoke about the technical details of the process as well as the distribution method, which he said was through North Korean diplomats and international crime syndicates.
The U.S. Government has theorized that the bills were spread in two ways:
- North Korean diplomats almost always travel through Moscow on their way to other destinations. At the Embassy of North Korea in Moscow they receive dollars for their expenses. According to the claims of one defector, forgeries are intermingled with real dollars in about a 1 to 1 ratio. He said that most of the diplomats themselves do not know that they are being given fakes, and claimed that it is possible to purchase a $100 bill for US$50–70 directly from North Korean agents, and sometimes as low as $10–20 in bulk purchases.
- The alleged chief of staff of the Official Irish Republican Army, Seán Garland, was followed and seen traveling to Moscow and visiting the North Korean embassy along with some ex-KGB officers. Allegedly, Seán Garland then would, with the help of some associate couriers, move this money to the Irish capital Dublin and to Birmingham, England, where the notes would be exchanged for pounds or authentic dollars. His alleged scheme, involving several international crime syndicates and transactions worth millions of dollars, was uncovered after a tip-off. Garland was arrested in Belfast, Northern Ireland but fled south to the Republic of Ireland after being released for medical leave. On 21 December 2011, the Irish High Court dismissed the US application for Garland's extradition, as the alleged offence took place in Ireland and was therefore not subject to extradition. The case was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider prosecution in Ireland.
South Korea has attempted to play a middle role, encouraging all parties to reach an acceptable conclusion without animosity. In a major meeting on January 22, 2006, the U.S. laid out its evidence and tried to persuade the Seoul government to take a harder line on the issue and impose similar financial sanctions, but was rebuffed. South Korea prefers to place blame on North Korean organizations rather than the government, believing that this change in rhetoric can mollify North Korea and be conducive to a resumption of the six-party talks.
Several North Korean diplomats have been arrested on suspicion of passing the counterfeit bills, but have used diplomatic immunity to evade charges.
On February 2, 2006, banks in Japan voluntarily enforced sanctions on Banco Delta Asia identical to those imposed by the United States. Later in August 2006, the Sankei Shimbun reported that North Korea had opened 23 bank accounts in 10 countries, with the likely intent of laundering more superbills.
The U.S. Secret Service estimates that North Korea has produced $45 million in superdollars since 1989. They allege that the bills are produced at the Pyongsong Trademark Printing Factory, which is under the supervision of General O Kuk-ryol.
In 2008 a McClatchy Newspapers article reported that the United States no longer explicitly accused the North Korean government of producing supernotes, and that the Swiss Bundeskriminalpolizei, who regularly search for counterfeit currency, doubted that North Korea produced supernotes. However, in 2009 a report by the Congressional Research Service renewed the accusation.