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I am sure there are tons of people who would like to be able to receive anonymous electronic cash payments online.  There is always lots of money to be made in selling items which fall within the gray area which is merchandise considered to be “semi-legal” or only legal in certain areas. 

Some examples of gray area merchandise might be generic Viagra from China, marijuana seeds from Amsterdam, steroids from Mexico, swithblades from Italy, or knock-0ff Rolex watches from Thailand.  These items are available for sale overseas, but are considered illegal in the United States.

In order to sell these items online you either need to be located outside the United States or have a system to make it appear as though you are offshore or overseas.  There are two ways that a person selling these items can be traced (1) through tracing the shipment of the item to the customer and (2) through the payment processing system that the seller is using. 

It’s fairly easy for people to prevent the shipment of the goods from being traced.  Namely using the return address of a person overseas, mailing the packages from different mailing centers, and not including anything with the package that can be traced back to the sender.  However, concealing the payment processing system to prevent it from being traced is much more difficult.

Most people would attempt to set up an anonymous electronic cash payment system, simply by setting up a paypal account using an assumed name.  However, paypal has different ways of identifying the owner of their accounts and they will often put heavy restrictions or holds on people’s accounts who have not confirmed their identity and have either linked a credit card or a checking account to their paypal account.

The paypal system requires that a user with a merchant account provide the following (a) their personal information such as name, address, and phone number, (b) a verified email address, (c) your computer’s IP address, (d) a confirmed telephone number, or (e) a confirmed bank account or credit card linked to the account. 

Anyone can create fake personal information, it’s also fairly easy to sign up for a free email account on hotmail, yahoo, or gmail.  You can easily block your IP address by using a proxy server service such as FreeProxyServer.net or from a site like PublicProxyServers.com where you can chose from a list of hundreds of proxy servers located in various countries from around the world.  Anyone can pick up an anonymous prepaid cellphone at their local pharmacy or grocery store.  Paypal relies on the bank account or credit card as the main way of verifying their customer’s identity.  They rely on the bank or credit card company to verify this information and trust that they have done so properly.  What a big mistake!

For those of you who currently have a paypal account you know how this identity procedure works.   You provide paypal with your bank account or credit card number and they make two small deposits into your account.  These deposits of a couple cents appear on your billing statement.  You enter the deposit amounts into paypal and they now have verified that you are the owner of the account.

How to solve this anonymously?

A bank account can be opened online fairly easily.  Some banks require only a scan of your driver’s license to open an account with them.  Do a little photoshop magic and you are done.  The next step is the credit card, how do you get a credit card that will verify a false identity?

Easy! It won’t cost you more than $25! American Express, Visa, and Mastercard now sell anonymous gift cards available at your local supermarket.  These gift cards are totally neutral and can be associated with any name.  These gift credit cards can be used to verify your identity on paypal.

Once you have a paypal account set up, you can receive payments and then transfer the balance of your payments into your anonymous bank account or onto your anonymous credit card.  Some gift cards do not allow you to add additional funds to be sure to read the fine print associated with the gift cards.

You could take things a step further and actually setup an anonymous offshore account, however these bank accounts are not without heavy fees and high minimum balances.  It would also be possible to setup a regular bank account offshore or overseas.

If paypal doesn’t work for you then you might want to consider one of the following similar payment processing companies. 

1) Authorize.net
2) Billpoint
3) E-Gold
4) NetPay

At this point whoever you send money to using the payment service will have no way of tracking the payment back to you.

Do beware that Paypal and others will ask questions about large transactions. I recently sold some teak furniture for close to $3000.00 and a Paypal security representative sent me an email asking me to confirm the transaction and explain what it was.  I responded to them and then never heard from them again.

This system is fairly easy and straightforward, it shows that sending anonymous payments and receiving them can be done if the proper groundwork is setup in advance.

The Basics

Money Laundering, is essentially the act of making money that comes from one Source A (illegal) look like it comes from another Source B (legitimate).  It is essentially disquising the origins of money obtained through illegal activities so that it looks like it came from legal sources. This way the money cannot connect them to illegal activities and law enforcement cannot seize it.

The Process

The basic money laundering process can be done in three simple steps:

1) Placement - first you need to place the money into a legitimate financial institution, this is often in the form of small cash bank deposits. Since banks are required to report high-value transactions.

2) Layering - this step involves sending the money through various financial transactions to change its form and make it difficult to follow. This could be through bank-to-bank transfers, wire transfers, deposits and withdrawals, changing the currency, or purchasing high valued items such as precious metals, diamonds, or real estate.

3) Integration - this step involves the money re-entering the economy in a legitimate form of a legal transaction. This could be purchasing goods or services that actually do not exist or in the form of a ficticious loan to yourself from a third-party or to a third-party from yourself - which will never actually be repaid since it is really fake.

Different Methods

Structuring Deposits - also known as smurfing, this method involves breaking up large amounts of money into small deposits. In the United States this ammount must be below $10,000 or the bank will be required to report the deposit to the government and the IRS. With this method the money is deposited into one or more banks by multiple people (known as smurfs) or by a single person over an extended period of time.

Overseas Banks - it is also useful to launder money through various “offshore accounts” in countries which have bank secrecy laws or anonymous banking. A complex scheme can involve hundreds of bank transfers to and from offshore banks. Major offshore banking centers include the Bahamas, Bahrain, the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Antilles, Panama, and Singapore.

Placement: A series of separate deposits to a bank in Israel. On one trip, 12 deposits are made in a single day.

Layering: Before U.S. or Israeli authorities had a chance to notice the suddenly huge balance in the account, they had the Israeli bank wire transfer everything to Panama, where bank secrecy laws are in effect. From that account, Antar could make anonymous transfers to various offshore accounts.

Integration: They then slowly wired the money from those accounts to the legitimate Crazy Eddie’s Electronics bank account, where the money got mixed in with legitimate dollars and documented as revenue.

Shell Companies - are fake companies that exist for no other reason than to launder money. They take in dirty money as “payment” for supposed goods or services but actually provide no goods or services. They simply create the appearance of legitimate transactions through fake invoices and balance sheets.

Placement: They deposit cash from U.S. drug sales in Panama bank accounts.

Layering: They then transfer the money from Panama to more than 100 bank accounts in 68 banks in nine countries in Europe, always in transactions under $10,000 to avoid suspicion. The bank accounts were in made-up names and names of different people. They then set up shell companies in Europe in order to document the money as legitimate income.

Integration: The plan was to send the money to Colombia, where they would use it to fund numerous legitimate businesses.

There are major parking problems in many parts of California. With too many cars inside of a limited area it can take hours to find a park space. There are many private parking lots out there that charge as high as $20 an hour. Some of these lots are gated and require you to pay before you are able to leave the parking lot while others simply have a parking attendant that walks around and charges people for parking. Many times these parking attendants won’t see the person parking their car and will leave a bill for them under their windshield. Some of them have egos and will even write pricey tickets to cars that they feel are breaking their rules or did not pay prior to parking.

The State of California allows private parking companies to ticket cars which were parked on their property. However, most people don’t realize that they are not obligated to pay these parking tickets. Unpaid parking tickets received in a private parking lot will never go against your drivers license or your vehicle’s registration. If you look carefully at the fine print on this ticket it will say that its not a state issued ticket and that it won’t go against your license or registration. They make this print really small so people won’t read it and pay the ticket out of fear that they will be penalized by the DMV.

They have very little recourse to force you to pay these tickets. However, they can either tow or boot your car if you attempt to park in their private lots again.

For several months I would park in this one parking lot next to the mall that was between two banks, a Wells Fargo and a Citibank. There were always parking attendants in this lot that attempted to charge you $6 for parking in this lot. They were required to provide 30 minutes of free parking to anyone using either bank. I have accounts at both banks and sometimes when I go into these banks I will come out and there will be a $65 ticket on my car stating that I did not pre-pay for parking. I will dispute this with the attendant, but they will not cancel the ticket. So I parked there anyway and over time I accumulated over 20 parking tickets which I did not pay.

One day I returned to my car to find that the right front wheel had been immobilized by a Denver Boot.

The Denver Boot was invented by a Colorado musician as a means to immobilize the vehicles of people who failed to pay their parking tickets. The idea is that instead of towing the vehicle, which requires time, space and expense, booting can force someone to pay quickly and easily.

I walked around to the back of my car and examined the bright orange parking boot. I noticed that a large orange plate was covering the lug nuts to prevent the car owner from simply removing the wheel and tire, putting on a spare, and then driving away. A short prong pressed against the tire holding the boot in place. The clamp had a padlock encased in a quarter inch of hardened steel and was positioned inside the wheelwell so it would be hard to reach with heavy tools.

I knew that the boot could easily be cut off using either an angle grinder or a propane torch, but I did not have either of tools on hand. I also knew that liquid nitrogen could be used to freeze the metal making it easy to break or thermite could be used to burn the metal into liquid. However, I did not have either of these available.

I found that removing the boot without any tools was quite simple. I noticed that the prongs holding the boot in place was attached to the tire. So I let the air out of the tire and was able to slide the prongs off the tire, partially exposing the hubcab. At this point I could have removed half of the lug nuts, but that would not do me much good because I would still not be able to remove the rest of the lugs and remove the wheel. I tried pulling the boot off the wheel completely, but it would not come off. So I got behind the wheel of the car and drove it backwards a few inches, the bottom of the boot hit the street and the torque of the wheel against the boot popped the boot of the wheel completely.

I was free and I drove away laughing with the boot in my car and later pitched the boot into a dumpster knowing that I got the last laugh. I won’t park there anymore because next time they will resort to towing my car now that they know I can defeat their parking boots. However if I see anyone else booted in this parking lot I will share this secret with them.

A few months ago, I wrote an article on Why Americans are Getting so Fat and mentioned that one of the major factors was due to the increasing high calories, larger portions, and fat quantity of the foods served in restaurants. American restaurants have been more focused on creating foods that taste good rather than being healthy.

Restaurants have even tried to combat the negative press and image associated with high fat diets by coming up with healthier alternatives. But are these alternatives really all that healthy?

Many of these “healthy alternatives” still contain an extremely large amount of calories and high quanities of fat and sugar. Keep in mind that the average person should only consume 2,500 calories per day. When it comes down to it sheer caloric impact is the primary cause of obesity. It makes sense. Excess calories are converted to fat, plain and simple.

So you go to your local Ruby Tuesdays and decide to eat healthy. You pick the Turkey Portobello burger rather than your typical Cheeseburger. Turkey burgers are healthy right? Guess Again… This turkey burger alone packs a whopping 1,145 calories and that’s not including the side of fries!

You would be better off ordering a Big Mac from McDonald’s which only packs 540 calories or even the Whopper from Burger King which is a high 760 calories.

The Turkey Bella from Ruby Tuesdays portobello contains 1,145 calories, 71 grams of fat, and a total of 56 grams of carbs. A much healthier alternative would be the 9-oz sirloin steak with a side of vegetables which would make a total of 256 calories.

McDonalds recently came out with their “ALL WHITEMEAT” Chicken Selects which appear healthier than your traditional Chicken McNuggets, however with the five piece alone they are 830 calories with 55 grams of fat (4.5 trans fat) and 48 grams of carbs. Add an order of regular fries and a soda and your looking at a 1,710 calorie meal!

The five piece Chicken Selects contains just about the same calorie content as the 20 piece Chicken McNuggets. An order of 6 piece Chicken Mcnuggets will save you 530 calories.

The Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo’d Power Smoothie packs a whopping 900 calories. In fact it contains more sugar than 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. There is also 10 grams of fat which some may consider quite low, but also 183 grams of carbs of which 166 grams are sugar.

Looking at the menu at Jamba Juice it is clear that 80 percent of their drinks contain 100 grams of sugar or more. That’s equal to 3 cans of regular cola. I’d avoid this chain and go find yourself a protein shake.

The Macaroni Grill’s “Double Macaroni and Cheese” may seem like a mild alternative, however it packs 1,210 calories with 62 grams of fat and 3,450 mg of sodium. A much better alternative would be their 390 calorie grilled chicken with a side of vegetables.

This simple sandwich packs 1,490 calories, 85 grams of fat, 96 grams of carbs, and 4510 mg of sodium. A typical sandwich should only contain 500 calories max and that includes bread, cheese, and mayonaise. There are many alternatives at Subway which are under 500 calories or less.

Carl’s Jr. has their Six Dollar Burger which is suppose to represent a typical burger that you would get at a Bar & Grill for $6.00, it also represents 1,520 calories with 111 grams of fat. Wow!!! Where do they pack all that fat?!? I guess in the bread. The low carb version of this six dollar burger in a box without the bun, but still with all the other fixings is only 490 calories. My only question is how in the hell do they pack 1,030 calories in the bun?

We saw how the Macaroni Grill was able to pack 1210 calories and 62 grams of fat into their Macaroni & Cheese. So how does their Spaghetti & Meatballs measure up?

They do not disappoint. Their Spaghetti & Meatballs contain a total of 2,430 calories with 128 grams of fat and 207 grams of carbohydrates. This one simple dish can satisfy your calorie requirements for an entire day. This means that you could essentially live off of eating this dish once a day and nothing more. Just kidding.

The Awesome Blossom from Chilli’s. Can you possibly get any worse than this? These fried onions are like sponges for absorbing the cannola oil that they are cooked in. That with the tangy chipotle sauce and you have an artery busting combination. This one starter contains 2,710 calories with 203 grams of fat and 194 grams of carbs. If this is your appetizer than I would hate to see your main course!

Yes, it does get worse! Outback Steakhouse has their Aussie Cheese Fries which are covered in ground beef, chili, and cheese. They are 2,900 calories with 182 grams of fat and a total of 240 carbs.  This is about as bad as it gets…  they must have made this high calorie on purpose.  How could this possibly be an accident?

Many commercial sites out there sell those turnkey PC grow systems for as much as $599.99. I have always thought that these prices are rather ridiculous. The people selling these units are probably investing $124.99 building each system and taking in $450.00 in profit. People are buying them so it’s definitely not a bad business model.

Just take a look at the PC Planter System system below:

The components are simple. PC Computer Case for $29.99, one 50 watt incandescent grow light bulb for $3.95, reflective insulating material $5.95, mini ozone purifier $15.00, housing material for lighting and wiring $20.00, mini two plant hydro resevoir tray system $34.99, humidity & temperature monitor $25.00, computer case fans $5.00, and light timer $7.99. Making the grand total for building this system around $128.00 which is around my original estimate above. So rather than buy one of these over priced systems, why not build your own?

You could do it for far less than $128.00 and have similar results. Let’s try to build a system for under $20.00.

It’s fairly easy to find a really old computer case that someone does not want for free. I had no trouble finding one. After removing a few screws and a few other modifications I had a perfect start for a grow box. I then picked up some styrofoam insulation which I used to line the box on all 4 sides. I also picked up a cheap extension cord, a lamptimer, and a light bulb socket plug adapter which allows me to plug the light bulb directly into the extension cord. I cut a small hole in the top for ventilation. Within 20 minutes my system was practically completed.

I added a regular incandescent light bulb that I obtained from an old lamp to add additional light and some heat to the inside of the grow box. This will improve the results since plants respond so well to a slightly warmer environment. I added a small glass of water to add a slight level of humidity to the inside of the case which the heat from the traditional light bulb would slowly cause to evaporate.

The completed grow system is shown below.

Using this system I was able to get good results, probably not much different than what I would see using the $599.99 system at the top of this post. The biggest difference is that my system uses potting soil and their system is totally hydroponic. However, I was able to get good results and saw my plant flower in around a week. It was a strawberry plant of course.

The break down of the total cost to build this system is shown below.  If you do not count the materials that can easily be found for free, such as the old PC case and the lamp then your costs will be around $19.75!

The iPhone is now one of the hottest new phones available today. It is one of Apple’s new top selling products which has greatly increased both their marketshare and stock prices. There are many great uses for iPhones which surpass all other cellphones out there: they are great for listening to music, searching the internet, viewing high-resolution graphics, and most recently viewing porn.

The technological feats of the new iPhones are key to the porn industry. The large high-resolution screen size, speedy Web access, and ease of use make the iPhone more than ideal for looking at porn. The device’s miniaturized version of Apple’s Safari software simplifies mobile access and streamlines the process of tailoring dirty sites for optimal viewing on the go.

“It’s by far the porn-friendliest phone,” says Devan Cypher, representative for San Francisco–based Sin City Entertainment. As evidence of the gadget’s rocketing popularity in California’s porn capital, the San Fernando Valley, numerous iPhone-specific porn sites have been launched in recent months. “There are a few hundred iPhone porn sites now in use,” says Farley Cahen, vice president of business development for AVN Media Network, the adult industry’s trade body. Many others are currently in the works targeting the iPhone 2.0, which goes on sale July 11.

Several leading porn players are getting ready for the 2.0 version of the Apple iPhone. Among them are Penthouse.com, Digital Playground, Pink Visual, and many others. The speed promised by the iPhone 2.0 is much anticipated. Google Trends, which measures Web buzz, shows a sharp increase over the past year in the popularity of the term “iPhone porn.”

Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock says the company doesn’t condone iPhone porn and will ban adult content from official applications, just as it has restricted adult content in the podcast section of the Apple store. But in no way can it prevent customers from accessing porn through the device’s browser.

The industry sees the iPhone 2.0 as having multiple advantages over the first model. For one thing, Apple’s new gadget is nearly twice as fast as its predecessor at loading Web pages, and even faster at running video, which is crucial for the porn industry. About a third of iPhone users watch video on their phone, according to Nielsen Mobile, which is nearly 10 times the number that watch video on other cell phones. Three out of four iPhone users are men with above-average incomes, and iPhone users spend heavily on entertainment. More than a third of iPhone users shell out more than $100 on phone and data charges every month, as compared with just one-fifth of other cell-phone users.

In 2007, the international market for mobile adult content reached $1.7 billion, according to Juniper, but they also estimate that this market will grow to around $13 billion a year after the 2.0 version of the iPhone hits the market.

The U.S. Treasury Department and Secret Service have battled constantly to stay one step ahead of professional counterfeiters. Recently with high-resolution color copiers and desktop publishing tools there is a new group of amateur counterfeiters out there trying their hand at making fake currency. The Treasury Department is fighting back with the most radical re-designs to the U.S. currency seen in over 60 years.

The 1996 $100 bill was just the first in the new series of bills that the Treasury Department has recently introduced to combat conterfeiting.

Currency Paper

The paper used to make U.S. Currency has a unique feel and is extemely durable. It is not really paper in a traditional sense. There are no wood fibers are starch in currency paper. Instead it is composed of a special blend of cotton and linen fibers. The strength comes from raw materials continuously refined until the special feel of the currency is achieved. Therefore people can easily tell if a bill is real by the distinctive feel of the currency paper. Also the distinctive yellowish-green tint of the ink on this special paper are extremely difficult for color photocopiers and printers to match using other types of paper.

Red and Blue Fibers

Small red and blue fibers found within currency paper make copying currency even more difficult. Some counterfeiters try to mimic these fibers, however closer inspection often reveals that these fibers are drawn on the bills rather than actual physical fibers that are part of the currency paper.

Security Thread

Security threads have been in U.S. currency for quite some time. In the most recent bills they run the entire width of the currency. In earlier bank notes these security threads were added to the actual paper itself and the number of threads would represent the denomination of the bill.

These security threads prevent conterfeiters from bleaching out one dollar bills and attempting to print hundred dollar bills on the original currency paper.

In these new bills the security thread will appear in a different location depending on the denomination of the bill. The thread for the new $100 bill carries the words “USA 100″ and can only be seen with transmitted light, which makes photocopying impossible. In addition, the new security threads glow red when held over ultraviolet light.

Watermarks

A new watermark was added to the 1996 series one hundred dollar bill. This is not a new concept. Watermarks have been used on foreign currency for hundreds of years. The watermark is created during the paper making process and is caused by variations in the density of the paper. As light passes through these tiny variations in thickness, it creates different tones. When held up to transmitted light these varying tones form a clear image — and in the case of the new $100, a second image of Ben Franklin.

Intaglio Printing

Intaglio printing is what gives the U.S. currency its distinctive look. The process begins with an engraving, both of the portrait and of the fine line detail surrounding the bill. The process begins with the engraving of the steel printing plates. A high-viscosity ink is then applied to the plates, the plates are then wiped clean, leaving only ink in the grooves, then pressed with enormous pressure (15,000 psi) which transfers the ink to the paper. This enormous pressure causes the paper to be embossed with the ink, closeup of pouring ink thus giving the ink a distinctive raised feel which other printing techniques cannot duplicate. The very fine engravings appear muddy when reproduced in counterfeit notes. While most of the front and back part of the bill is produced in this way, the Treasury seal, Federal Reserve seal and serial numbers are not printed with the Intaglio process.

Currency Portrait

The portrait on currenct may not seem to be a security feature, but the U.S. Treasury Department maintains that the portrait face is the most recognizable part of money. People will tend to remember faces, and if the bill is counterfeit, they will see that the face is not exactly right. Everyone already associates Ben Franklin with the $100 bill, the U.S. Treasury Department did not want to change the face on the bill. While the faces on some foreign currency change as the countries political climate changes, the U.S. Treasury Department wants to present an image of stability with their currency. Instead, they decided to enlarge the portrait on the new $100. The portrait was painstakingly engraved by Thomas Hipschen, and the U.S. Treasury Department hopes the new enlarged details will make counterfeit bills stand out more clearly from the real thing. By moving the portrait to the left, the face will suffer less wear from folding. The move also makes extra room for the watermark on the right side of the bill.

Color Shifting Ink

Color-shifting ink is perhaps the most “high-tech” of the new security features. The black to green color-shifting is a new and important element of the redesigned $100 bill. Similar types of ink have already been used on foreign currency and even on the latest U.S. passports. The change in color is the result of multi-layered metallic flakes added to the ink. When the bill is tilted, light reflects off these flakes at different wavelengths and changes the color of the ink. This trick is called color diffraction, which is also responsible for the color variations found on the wings of some butterflies. The U.S. Treasury Department has made sure that the special combination of materials and ink is only available to the United States government to make this one feature that will be extremely difficult to counterfeit.

Microprinting

Microprinting appears as just a thin line to the naked eye, but can be easily read upon magnification. The introduction of microprinting on U.S. currency begain in 1990 with the addition of the words “The United States of America” printed around the edge of the portraits. The new bills still use microprinting, but in a different location around Ben Franklin’s lapel. In addition, the words “USA 100″ are printed within the lower left “100.” Microprinting is very difficult to reproduce accurately on photocopiers because most copiers do not have the ability to work at such a high resolution. This situation may not last long, because improved scanning devices are now able to print at finer detailed level. The Treasury hopes the combination of the many anti-replication features will continue to deter potential counterfeiters in the future.

Fine Line Engraving

Fine circular lines appear around the portrait of the bill. The clarity and detail of these lines are difficult for scanners and photocopiers to reproduce. These lines often cause a blur during the scanning process.

Serial Numbers and Treasury Seal

The serial number is especially important for banks which handle large amounts of cash. No two serial numbers are the same. On the new bills, these serial numbers have been increased to 11 digits.

In addition, the new bills contain a redesigned image of Treasury sealFederal Reserve seal and code which indicate the bill’s issuing bank. While the old bills contain this information, on the new bills the numbers are clearer and easier to identify. The old green Treasury seal hidden behind the “100″ has long been part of U.S currency and will remain an important security feature. This detailed combination of green and black is difficult to reproduce. Like all overt features, however, the new bills will require continuous upgrades and additions as new technology arises that makes the features more vulnerable.

Fake Hundred Dollar Bill

Using the information from the article above can you find all the features which show that the hundred dollar bill below is a fake?

There are five things wrong with the hundred dollar bill above.

FRONT OF BILL

1) The Federal Reserve Bank seal should designate the entire system not one particular bank. It would be fine on an older version of the bill, which features the individual seal of the bank to which the note was issued. But with the new bills a universal seal representing the entire Federal Reserve System should be in its place.

2) The Serial Number does not contain enough letters. The serial number should include 11 letters and numbers. The new sequence will include two letters in the front (instead of one), eight numbers, and one letter at the end.

3) Two numerals are found on the old bills are on the right side of the bill, but should not be on new currency. Instead, a watermark of Benjamin Franklin, which can be seen when the bill is held up to a light should be there. A watermark is hard to counterfeit because it does not photocopy.

4) The misspelled word “DOLLER” (should be DOLLAR) on the lower right hand corner of the bill.

BACK OF BILL

5) The clock is missing from the tower. Details are important to foil counterfeiters. Among the new features added, many include fine detail, such as microprinting and concentric lines.