Spy coin report overblown, U.S. official saysCOLIN FREEZEGlobe and Mail (newspaper) Update
A report that that some Canadian coins have been compromised by secretly embedded spy transmitters is overblown, according to a U.S. official familiar with the case.
?There is no story there,? the official, who asked not to be named, told The Globe and Mail.
He said that while some odd-looking Canadian coins briefly triggered suspicions in the United States, he said that the fears proved groundless: ?We have no evidence to indicate anything connected with these coins poses a risk or danger.?
A report from a Pentagon agency made headlines this week after it stated ? unequivocally ? that Canadian coins found in the possession of U.S. defence contractors had been tampered with.
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?On at least three separate occasions between October, 2005 and January, 2006, cleared defence contractors' employees travelling through Canada have discovered radio-frequency transmitters embedded in Canadian coins on their persons,? reads the U.S. Defence Security Service report.
The account ? which gave no further elaboration ? appeared in the latest annual edition of the agency's ?Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defence Industry? report.
The report also made vague references to other cases including one, in which a female spy allegedly seduced a U.S. government translator for his computer password, and a defence contractor with carpal-tunnel syndrome who raised concerns after using a voice-recorded pen to take notes during sensitive meetings.
Nothing else is known about these cases.
But the item about the Canadian coins item appeared to be the result of only partial intelligence.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 .
But a U.S. agency that investigated the complaint found no evidence of any secret transmitters, or of any other tampering.
It's not clear why this information failed to find its way into the released U.S. Defence Security Service report.
Canadian officials, who were not in the loop on the U.S. investigation, reacted to the transmitter-carrying coins skeptically.
?What is the value of a device for tracking someone when it changes hands so frequently and so readily?,? said Alex Reeves, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint, in an interview.
In addition to standard currency, the Mint produces special-issue coins, like pink-ribbon quarters to raise awareness about breast cancer or ?lucky Loonies? to celebrate Canada's accomplishments in hockey.
Mr. Reeves said it is a crime for anyone to tamper with Canadian money.
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Good thing one can't tamper with Canadian money....
Said guilty party might be accused of only having "partial intelligence..."
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