You can do it a bit without it being a problem , but if you continually introduce money into the economy you increase inflation - this is why Quantitative easing is not a sensible economic policy for getting out of recession unless inflation is very low. this s why in WW2 both sides tried to wreck the others economy via counterfeiting https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP58-00453R000200130002-8.pdf
Iran was still doing that, both to damage the US and to prop up its own economy, as recently as a decade ago. We sold the Shah a couple of the printing presses used to make US dollars, they fell into the current government's hands after the revolution. One thing that springs to my early morning mind is that your bad guys could be behind a cryptocurrency. A bunch of my idiot coworkers have stumbled across them as a "sure thing" and are preparing to tip their life's savings into them. Could be, especially for your story, nothing but an enormous, secretly administered "pump and dump".
Tell them to hold off as I'm about to launch Moose coin which will be a sure thing certainty ... for only $1000 USD they get 100 moose coin's , discounts for bulk ... none of this data mining nonsense here, you simply buy your worthless pieces of paper unique currency certificates and then you can use them to pay for stuff at any vendor who takes them no one currently guaranteed to keep their present value of absolutely bugger all into perpetuity
@Iain Aschendale: A lot of the Wikipedia article went over my head, but as I understand it, Pantheon would buy a ton of stock in a company we'll call CredCon, who offers a new digital currency called Creds. Pantheon would then say, "CredCon is going to partner with major retailers. It's the hottest new thing, and they're doing really well." When people look at CredCon's books, the story is confirmed, when in fact CredCon is two steps from being a grease stain. Investors buy a bunch of stock in CredCon, driving the value of the stock up. Then Pantheon sells all its stock in CredCon just before CredCon implodes in a scandal because oops, CredCon employee P. Antheon blew the whistle and the SEC shows up for the party with their friends in the FBI and Secret Service and the IRS. Tax evasion, stock fraud, all kinds of fun stuff. In the end, CredCon goes down, Pantheon disappears with their huge pile of cash, and investors are left swinging in the wind with empty pockets. No one will ever know Pantheon set up CredCon to begin with, and when the alphabet soup of government agencies shows up with some not so kinky handcuffs for the folks at CredCon, the building is completely empty. Pantheon is then free to take their money and do with it as they please. Is that about right?
My advice is don't get sidetracked - your story is about Pantheon, vs Titan, vs ASMC, vs Zed .... a big side track into Pantheon making money from bitcoin isn't going to enhance the book ... your readers will just take it as read that Pantheon's founder is a billionaire (they'll assume he made the money out of pantheon)
You're right. This is fun to explore and might be useful info for later, but it's nothing to do with the story at present. Thanks for the reminder. I get easily sidetracked in the exploration.
