I was flying from Johannesburg to Harare on September 30. The gentleman sitting next to me warned me of a scam. He said that locals would come up and ask if you had change for $100. Most of the time these bills were counterfeit he said.

Sure enough, I was buying a bottle of water in the airport and a worker asked me if I had change for a $100. It struck me as odd that this type of worker would have $100 . I told them I didn't have $100 and that was the end of it. It did make me think.

I was also in Joberg coming home on Sept. 17 and had the same thing happen outside of the Out of Africa shop. I didn't actually see the bill in question but the guy never looked me in the face as he asked for change and I thought it very odd. I watched him walk away after I told him I didn't have change and he never asked anyone else around us??? Maybe I was just the obvious sucker that stood out in the crowd.

I'm sure there are some scams going on, but it seems no one has change in Zim. We were in Victoria Falls last month and no one had change. However, when you do find someone willing to make change you will quickly realize that Zim has the largest stockpine of $2 bills than any place in the world that uses the US dollar as accepted currancy.

I was outside Bulawayo at a little gas station in late August. All my change came back in $2 bills. I thought it was pretty cool. Now one is my good luck charm.

Were/are the $2 bills real or counterfeit as well?

Nope $2 Bills are real enough. Many of the 100's folks are trying to change are not necessarily forgeries. The government ecided in its wisdom that US$100 bills printed before 2001 could not be used to pay for services at government departments becuase of the risk of forgeries (they obviously didn't realise that the new 'large head' notes came out in 1996...

Anyway, there are plenty of folk with perfectly genuine US$100 bills dated 1996 or 1999 that cannot spend them- the banks will take them but then you have to wait 2 weeks for them to be 'cleared' and anyway, which low grade workers have bank accounts?

Therre are also a fair number of old , small head' US $100 bills in circulation. If what my bank tells me is true, most were printed in Iran in the late 1980's - they are suficiently good counterfets that only buy running the serial numbers can they be detected. When the banks get them, they send them off to the USA and only credit your account (less 10% service charge) once the USA says they are genuine (which can take a couple of months).

Personally I take all dodgy notes to SCI and use them to pay for the taxi etc. Taxi drivers can sort out the fakes a dam sight quicker than the banks

Really, I do lie awake at night worrying if the big banks are making enough money...