Money for nothing, the Russian way
Published 02 July, 2008, 13:43
Want to raise some money out of nothing? Well, a certain scheme does exist in Russia. All you’ve got to do is buying some bookmarks resembling original Russian banknotes and put them into circulation for real.
The idea belongs to unknown boys from a small Russian town on the Volga river. The 16 year-old teenagers managed to buy stationery with cheap bookmarks depicting Russian 100 roubles (a bit over $4) banknotes. They used replicas several times during one day, according to Regnum Info Agency.
The Regional Prosecutor’s office says that about three months ago teenagers paid with banknote imitations for chewing gum, soft-tip pens and even cigarettes.
A criminal case was issued against young cheaters in the end of March 2008. During preliminary hearings they repented of what they had done and the court, taking into consideration their age, good references and reimbursement of the injured party (about $8), withdrew the action against them because of reconciliation of the parties.
Similar cases occurred in several other parts of Russia where adults willingly followed the path of their children. The matter is that production of these bookmarks depicting original banknotes is not a forgery.
Polygraphic products representing banknotes of the Russian Federation or other currencies are not against the law though attempts to actually “pay” with them is considered as a criminal fraud case.
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