News & Politics - U.S. warns about Canadian spy coins

Lexis · 01-11-2007, 08:44 AM

What do you make of this story? Talk about creepy.

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Money talks, but can it also follow your movements?

In a U.S. government warning high on the creepiness scale, the Defense Department cautioned its American contractors over what it described as a new espionage threat: Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.

The government said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.

Intelligence and technology experts said such transmitters, if they exist, could be used to surreptitiously track the movements of people carrying the spy coins.

The U.S. report doesn't suggest who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It also doesn't describe how the
Pentagon discovered the ruse, how the transmitters might function or even which Canadian currency contained them.

Further details were secret, according to the U.S. Defense Security Service, which issued the warning to the Pentagon's classified contractors. The government insists the incidents happened, and the risk was genuine.

"What's in the report is true," said Martha Deutscher, a spokeswoman for the security service. "This is indeed a sanitized version, which leaves a lot of questions."

Top suspects, according to outside experts: China, Russia or even France — all said to actively run espionage operations inside Canada with enough sophistication to produce such technology.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it knew nothing about the coins.

"This issue has just come to our attention," CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion said. "At this point, we don't know of any basis for these claims." She said Canada's intelligence service works closely with its U.S. counterparts and will seek more information if necessary.

Experts were astonished about the disclosure and the novel tracking technique, but they rejected suggestions Canada's government might be spying on American contractors. The intelligence services of the two countries are extraordinarily close and routinely share sensitive secrets.

"It would seem unthinkable," said David Harris, former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. "I wouldn't expect to see any offensive operation against the Americans."

Harris said likely candidates include foreign spies who targeted Americans abroad or businesses engaged in corporate espionage. "There are certainly a lot of mysterious aspects to this," Harris said.

Experts said such tiny transmitters would almost certainly have limited range to communicate with sensors no more than a few feet away, such as ones hidden inside a doorway. The metal in the coins also could interfere with any signals emitted.

U.S. warns about Canadian spy coins - Yahoo! News

**sunnykerr** · 01-11-2007, 09:16 AM

I think it's ludicrous. Not that espionnage isn't a reality, but toonies? Seriously.

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Experts said hiding tracking technology inside coins is fraught with risks because the spy's target might inadvertently give away the coin or spend it buying coffee or a newspaper. They agreed, however, that a coin with a hidden tracking device might not arouse suspicion if it were discovered in a pocket or briefcase.

"It wouldn't seem to be the best place to put something like that; you'd want to put it in something that wouldn't be left behind or spent," said Jeff Richelson, a researcher and author of books about the CIA and its gadgets. "It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense."

Canada's largest coins include its $2 "Toonie," which is more than 1-inch across and thick enough to hide a tiny transmitter. The CIA has acknowledged its own spies have used hollow, U.S. silver-dollar coins to hide messages and film.

CTV.ca | U.S. issues warning about Canadian spy coins

**Lost in Translation** · 01-11-2007, 12:13 PM

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I think it's ludicrous. Not that espionnage isn't a reality, but toonies? Seriously.

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"It wouldn't seem to be the best place to put something like that; you'd want to put it in something that wouldn't be left behind or spent," said Jeff Richelson, a researcher and author of books about the CIA and its gadgets. "It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense."

That is exactly my thought.

migamoo · 01-11-2007, 02:14 PM

While I'm sure Americans are being spied on, I don't see the logic of hiding devices in coins. As stated, there are too many things that could happen to make the person spend/lose/ect that coin. Unless it was on multiple coins but who knows.

nopal · 01-11-2007, 02:35 PM

Spy #1: Do you still have his signal?

Spy #2: Yeah, but he's spent the last five hours at a Quik-E-Mart.

kickedinthehead · 01-11-2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post)

I think it's ludicrous. Not that espionnage isn't a reality, but toonies? Seriously.

It's like something out of the Onion. But then again, this is Bush, who insists on turning the news into the Onion.

elisheva · 01-11-2007, 06:53 PM

Hee. Using toonies for evil. I love it.

**Lost in Translation** · 01-12-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elisheva (View Post)

Hee. Using toonies for evil. I love it.

Toonies only have one use in this world: to buy extra large double-doubles

If there's gonna be spying then they should use something less likely to be exchanged, lost, thrown around...

elisheva · 01-16-2007, 06:53 AM

Looks like our toonies are still innocent!

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OTTAWA – It seems there's no danger of your spare change spying on you after all.

A U.S. government defence agency has suddenly retracted its claim that Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters were planted on at least three American contractors who visited Canada.

TheStar.com - News - U.S. retracts spy coins claim

***Raonaild*** · 01-16-2007, 09:34 AM

I think this is all nonsense. A more sensible suggestion in other papers is that these folks were suspicious about perfectly innocent special issue Canadian coins, like quarters with poppies or pink ribbons printed in the centre:

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Defence contractors had apparently been give certain special-issue Canadian coins, the unfamiliar look of which caused them to be concerned about the money, a source said. That led to an investigation once the contractors returned to the United States.

globeandmail.com: Spy coin report overblown, U.S. official says

**Lost in Translation** · 01-16-2007, 05:19 PM

so how much money was blown on this? Sad.

**sunnykerr** · 01-17-2007, 07:35 AM

I wonder what'll happen in the States now. The U.S. Mint was set to re-attempt the release of a U.S. 1-dollar collar in March... It's already tried it before, and it's never caught on in the States. Now, with this association to espionage... even if it's been completely debunked... I wonder what'll happen to that...


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