Money is big business in Peru – over the past two years, Peru has overtaken Colombia as the top source of counterfeit U.S. dollars, according to the U.S. Secret Service. In response the service has opened a permanent office in Lima last year (only the fourth such office in Latin America), and has since helped Peru arrest 50 people on counterfeiting charges, CBS Newsreports.
Over the past decade, $103 million in fake U.S. dollars “made in Peru” have been seized. Unlike most counterfeiters, Peruvians use offset, huge machines that are usually used for printing newspapers, and then they finish each bill by hand to improve the quality.