Monday, April 25, 2011

gbosh Post: Dinar Info from a Contractor in Iraq

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Hello,

Acknowledging that this is my first post, and understanding that with all crap flying around, I have not established any credibility with this audience, allow me to offer a few perspectives.
First, I am currently working in Iraq as a contractor (aviation related). I have been here in Northern Iraq for the last ~3 months, and this is my second rotation to the country, and this location, in the last 18 months. For security purposes, I’ll leave it at that. If that’s not good enough, read/believe at your own peril. I won’t discuss my wages other than to say the pay is good enough to encourage this 19 yr military vet (active/reserve) to leave his family for months on end. My time is away is arguably less than others in similar situations, and I recognize and appreciate the sacrafice of all the people here, military or civilian/contractor.
Second, I am relatively new to the Dinar game. I was introduced to the opportunity in Feb of this year by a coworker here, so I am hardly a ‘Vet.’ I do own Dinar and have purchased them as recently as yesterday. I will be returning stateside when my tour ends next month, and can only hope I have an additional buying opportunity after the first of the month (more on that in a minute), before ReVal. I am not in a position to broker or otherwise purchase for others, so if you were inclined to ask, don’t bother. That having been said, I am a fan, and hoping for the best financial outcome while still acknowledging the possibility that my investment may offer, at best, a very nominal return
How a contractor in Iraq can purchase Dinar (INFO): Army finance will allow individuals (military and civilian) on the base to purchase US$1000 worth of Dinar each month. The purchase is tied to your SSN in an Army computer, and they track/limit the purchases that way. They provide a receipt showing pertinent info about the purchase, as well as a separate sheet of paper that lists the denomination and quantity ‘purchased.’ This is a great aspect of the transaction as it lends validity to your acquisition of the Dinar, so that post ReVal the legitimacy of the Dinar you own is less likely to be questioned. Finance will allow you to purchase Dinar using US$ cash or using an Eagle Cash card (essentially a reloadable debit card tied to your checking account). The exchange rate of these transactions is IQD1170 to the US$, and it has been that rate for many months (note sure how far back that rate goes, but it goes farther back than I’ve been in country this rotation).
On the removal of higher denomination bills from circulation (INFO): On a regular basis (daily/weekly), I have an opportunity to interact with Iraqi merchants who have been allowed to up shops on base for the benefit of soldiers/personnel here. These merchants live off base and are otherwise involved in their communities as you or I would be during our non-work hours. After hearing an individual (Breitling, on a recorded conference call posted on a different site) recently assert that the higher denomination notes (5k, 10, 25k) are no longer in circulation in country (i.e. removed intentionally), I spoke directly with one of these merchants to determine if that statement was true. The answer was flatly, ‘No’ When the real purchasing power of a 25k note is $20-$25, the number of smaller bills (500 and less) required to reach enough for a transaction of ANY significance is enough to make the prospect of carrying ONLY those smaller bills unreasonable. This merchant’s explanation of such and statement that the higher denomination notes are very much in play in Iraq. (He promptly asked me if I wanted him to get some for me, for a small profit of course) I don’t have the ability to leave the base and verify the existence of the bigger bills myself, but I have no reason to believe he would have anything to gain by being dishonest. He has been another source for me to purchase Dinar in smaller quantities, and I have received large denomination notes from him. In addition to the merchants, I am in daily contact with Iraqis through my work, and some of them have additional
On the prospect of Revaluation: First, Army finance has no information (as of yesterday) that they are willing to share about any revaluation. I don’t necessarily think they’d be the first to know, but the fact that I could walk in and still purchase Dinar yesterday makes me think the recent brouhaha about 5/3rd bank and their decision to stop selling Dinar may really be just as simple as their official explanation of not being able to keep up with the demand for what was originally just a simple service for their traveling customers. Sometimes the simplest answer is the real answer. When Army finance either changes their exchange rate or refuses to exchange Dinar for dollars, I’ll put more credence in similar bank decisions. In addition to the merchants above, I am in daily contact with Iraqis of a different walk through my work. One in particular is a particularly astute businessman. I asked his opinion of the ReVal (when I was looking at acquiring more smaller bills). He was under the impression that the removal of three zeros from the existing currency (LOP) was the ReVal to expect. I can’t say with any certainty how sure he was of this info. At the risk of generalizing, many Iraqis I’ve me will generally tell you what they think you want to hear just as readily as they’ll tell you the truth. I don’t necessarily place this man in that category, but I take everything I hear with a grain of salt.
Getting Dinar out of Iraq: The post office (contractor run for the USPS), flatly refuses to ship currency, and if they know you are attempting ship Dinar, they will tell you no with no reservation. Special services like Registered Mail are not available. FedEx, operated by a local affiliate, also refuses to ship currency. To my knowledge, the only way to take the Dinar home with me is to physically carry it with me when I leave. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who as traveled with more than just a token amount of Iraqi currency and how they handled it with airport security and general security as they traveled home. If you have a different solution that is both legal and feasible, I would be very interested in that as well.
If you’ve got any questions, shoot. I’m glad to have found the forums of DinarVets as an alternative to the neverending hype machine of sites/dealers/individuals found elsewhere. Somewhere in the middle is the answer. Thanks for listening!
Happy Easter, have a great week!
gbosh

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