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muriel_volestrangler

(101,318 posts) Sun Mar 30, 2014, 02:49 PM Mar 2014

Vatican guards halt attempted 'three trillion euro fraud'

Swiss guards have stopped and arrested two men who were allegedly trying to deposit fake bond certificates worth trillions of euros in the Vatican bank.

The two suspects, a middle-aged Dutchman and a US citizen, apparently approached the gates to the Vatican City and tried to convince guards that they had an appointment with bank officials.
...
The men were promptly handed over to Italian police after a quick check by Vatican officials showed they neither had an appointment nor any connections with the Institute for Religious Works, the formal name of the bank, which is behind the tiny city-state's walls and is not open to the public.
...
Both suspects, whose names were not released by police, had been previously investigated for attempted fraud in Asian countries, Mr Cardia said without elaborating. They were issued citations and released on their own recognisance pending further investigation, since Italian law does not require arrest for investigation of attempted fraud, according to the official. Both are believed to have left Italy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vatican-guards-halt-attempted-three-trillion-euro-fraud-9224576.html

If the 2 buffoons thought about it, they'd try a bit of fraud that didn't involve claiming to suddenly be the richest people in the world. But it's a bit worrying that the Italian police appear to have allowed them to leave the country. One day, they might work out how to carry out a fraud with a slim chance of success.

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Vatican guards halt attempted 'three trillion euro fraud' (Original Post) muriel_volestrangler Mar 2014 OP

Reminds me of this from 2012 dipsydoodle Mar 2014 #1

We can go back further muriel_volestrangler Mar 2014 #2

all you can do is laugh Takket Mar 2014 #3

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)

1. Reminds me of this from 2012

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 02:56 PM

Mar 2014

Italian police seize $6tn of fake US Treasury bonds.

Italian police have seized $6tn of fake US Treasury bonds, an amount equal to more than a third of the US's public debt.

The bonds were found by Swiss authorities in safe deposit boxes in Zurich. Arrest warrants have been issued for eight people as a result of the operation, dubbed "Operation Vulcanica".

The alleged fraudsters are accused of counterfeiting bonds and credit card forgery.

The securities, dated 1934, were held in three large trunks stored at a Zurich trust company. It is believed to be the largest ever seizure of fake Treasury bonds. US officials in Italy confirmed that the bonds were counterfeit but declined to comment further.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/17/fake-us-treasury-bonds-seized

muriel_volestrangler

(101,318 posts)

2. We can go back further

Reply to dipsydoodle (Reply #1)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 03:17 PM

Mar 2014

Pensioner guilty of $2.5 trillion fraud plot

The Guardian, Friday 19 September 2003 02.33 BST

A British pensioner was yesterday convicted of trying to pull off one of the biggest frauds in history, using $2.5 trillion worth of faked US government bonds.

Graham Halksworth, 68, who has 45 years' experience in the forensic science industry, was paid to authenticate bonds he knew were fake, Snaresbrook crown court was told.

Also convicted was a former Yugoslav secret agent, Michael Slamaj, 56, who was part of a ring of criminals who used the fake bonds to obtain credit.
...
The scam was uncovered after police received a tip-off from the Hong Kong authorities that Halksworth was churning out certificates authenticating the fake bonds from a central London office.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/sep/19/ukcrime.rebeccaallison

Trillions of fake US bonds seized

Tuesday, 20 February, 2001, 12:04 GMT

United States and Philippine officials have seized more than $2,000bn (two trillion) in fake US Federal Reserve bonds in the southern Philippines.

They said the large-denomination counterfeit bonds may have been intended to be sold as part of ''lost treasure'' scam where buyers are told the documents have recently been found.

In a raid on a house in Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, police also seized stacks of counterfeit Japanese yen and Argentine peso notes as well a few fake dollar notes, and some other currencies and bonds.

Police said a Philippine man, Archie Mingoc, had been arrested with the counterfeit currencies and bonds, and five other suspects were being sought.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/1180171.stm

Takket

(21,570 posts)

3. all you can do is laugh

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 03:21 PM

Mar 2014

"Hello, I'd like to deposit 3 trillion dollars. Of course everything is on the up and up, why wouldn't it be?"

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