[privacy] Canadian Coins Bugged, U.S. Security Agency Says

[Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah]

From:           	"Fergie" <fergdawg at netzero.net>
Date sent:      	Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:53:20 GMT

> Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in
> the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada

Please note that "coins" covered with gold foil molded around a chocolate disk are 
not, in fact, legal tender in Canada, and are not issued by the Canadian Mint.  
(Also, such coins should not have a crunchy centre.)

I'm sorry, but many things about this story strike me as extremely odd.  How/why 
would coins be "placed" on people?  Wouldn't there be an extremely high 
likelihood that your (presumably very expensive) sophisticated bugging device gets 
used to pay for a chocolate dip and a double double at Tim's?  I guess dropping 
them on Americans would be a good way to ensure that nobody noticed they had a 
different heft from normal coins.  But wouldn't a metal coin be detrimental to 
RFID activities?

======================  (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade at vcn.bc.ca     slade at victoria.tc.ca     rslade at computercrime.org
`What was it you really put in the sugar?'
`Cascara,' said Malicia.
Keith sighed.  `How much did you give them?'
`Lots.  But they should be all right if they don't take too much
of the antidote.'
`What did you give them for the antidote?'
`Cascara.'
`Malicia, you are not a nice person.'
   - `The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents,' Terry Pratchett
Dictionary of Information Security  www.syngress.com/catalog/?pid=4150
http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm