The inflation rate has gone from 14 percent to around 200 percent-a month. While U.S. dollars and traveler's checks can, in theory, be exchanged for local currency (the Congolese franc) at banks in Kinshasa, banks often do not have sufficient cash on hand to make transactions. Visitors may be given an unfavorable rate of exchange and the process can be very time consuming. Participating in the unofficial, "parallel" money exchanges that flourish in some areas is illegal and dicey since Kabila has cracked down on the black market. Some foreigners have been picked up for infractions of this type and their money has been confiscated. Credit cards are accepted at a few major hotels and restaurants. It is illegal to take Congolese francs out of the country. Don't fall for the "we're plainclothes police and we need to see your money" scam.
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