5 March 2006
A couple who sent in a large check to pay off their credit card was tagged by the DHS, their account effectively frozen for some time as I understand it. What rules the feds follow and what the logic is behind all this appears unclear.
They paid down some debt. The balance on their JCPenney Platinum MasterCard had gotten to an unhealthy level. So they sent in a large payment, a check for $6,522.
And an alarm went off. A red flag went up. The Soehnges' behavior was found questionable.
And all they did was pay down their debt. They didn't call a suspected terrorist on their cell phone. They didn't try to sneak a machine gun through customs.
They just paid a hefty chunk of their credit card balance. And they learned how frighteningly wide the net of suspicion has been cast.
After sending in the check, they checked online to see if their account had been duly credited. They learned that the check had arrived, but the amount available for credit on their account hadn't changed.
So Deana Soehnge called the credit-card company. Then Walter called.
"When you mess with my money, I want to know why," he said.
They both learned the same astounding piece of information about the little things that can set the threat sensors to beeping and blinking.
They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted.
Walter called television stations, the American Civil Liberties Union and me. And he went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act.
"The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy."
Eventually, his and his wife's money was freed up. The Soehnges were apparently found not to be promoting global terrorism under the guise of paying a credit-card bill. They never did learn how a large credit card payment can pose a security threat.
Pay too much and you could raise the alarmBob Kerr,
The Providence Journal, February 28, 2006
Asks shoeless z on Dailykos:
I'm interested in hearing any possible explanations for how a large credit card payment is any kind of security risk. I wasn't sold on being sent to the long security line if someone else buys your plane ticket for you, because apparently al Qaeda and your parents have that in common.
That's a very good question indeed. Another question I would like to ask is what are the parameters here? For instance, for how long can the DHS or any other federal agency delay a transaction on your account while they are "looking at it"?
In general it is my impression that very little is being done to effectively fight terrorim - be that in the field of electronic security, or airline security, or law enforcement. However all sorts of measures are in effect that allow impedance to and intimidation of citizenry. Is that just a coincidence, did it just happen that way - or is it this way by design? I do not claim to know an answer to this question but I do believe it is is an important question to ask.