Hot Gossip

[MissWaverly]

I did not want to post this in the main forum because I want to avoid the link please crowd.
I heard from a person that knows a bank manager that every month; Homeland Security brings
auditors in and reviews the financial transactions in every business account in the bank for
the month. Everybody, with no exceptions, if there has been anything other that the usual
routine transactions, they question it for everybody. And this is not just for we bloggers
or democrats or protestors, everybody.

[Sanity Claws]

1. I don't doubt it

In the last two months, I've had the bank return a copy of two checks, not the original checks. This never happened to me before in my 16 years of having business accounts.

[MissWaverly]

4. those were your checks and its your money

what right do they have to do this, we have done no wrong, we are not criminals and what are
they doing with information on everybody. And anytime it is questioned in court, they are allowed to get away with it on the grounds of national security. That's a ragtag excuse. Yet these same people, won't give out any information at all that we demand under the freedom of information act, it takes years to get information back.

[NMDemDist2]

2. yeah, we all know bank auditors are SO much more important to have

on the payroll than ..say... Air Marshalls!

:banghead:

well they should have had a field day with my recently closed biz account since I went from a daily cash deposit to HUGE cash deposits as I sold off my equipment

[MissWaverly]

3. yes, why should they worry about the big picture

when they can bog themselves down with meaningless trivia, yes, why should they worry about
what is coming in a port in a container when they can snoop through your Grandma's bank
account.

[rumpel]

6. odd - while I was writing the below post - I was thinking

of posting the cargo screening - your thoughts must have traveled over to me - :)

on edit skipped "was"

[MissWaverly]

7. Hey, isn't this the "psychic" forum

:toast:

[rumpel]

26. grin

:)

[rumpel]

5. Sounds about right,

I had, in the beginning of the year a problem with my bank, they just simply closed my company account. The mailing said, they want a copy of the Articles of Incorpoartion. However they have had it since before they took over the original local bank. They said it is a Patriot Act related audit and many people are upset. I had the account for 9 years - they also said, when the bank did not have a copy of an id of even one of the company officers or any documents missing - they just closed it.
But the reasons for closing and the story changed - so I don't know what really transpired - Maybe it was also a good excuse of closing accounts that were not profitable for the bank? In any event, I have a bank check made out to my company which now can not be cashed - unlesss my company creates a new account.

Banks also have an inter-bank reporting agency called Chexsystems - if one bank flags you for something - you can not open an account at another participating bank. The consumer/small business only finds out about it when you try to open an account - but they are bound by the same credit reporting Act and have to correct errors. When I tried to change banks because I really hate the bank and bank manager, I found out at the new bank, I had " misuse of account" notice and that I owed close to $400, and I could not change banks until this was resolved. So I had to go through the process of having checksystem verify and investigate. They immediately corrected it.

This whole thing is getting so ridiculous, but I bet you every single transaction you make is known to * & Co. Instead of using tax dollars on sending personel to audit every day ordinary citizens and their bank accounts - don't they have more important things to do?

[MissWaverly]

8. what happened to me

I went to use my bankcard at the ATM and it would not work, great, so I had no money on my
lunch hour. So I called my bank, and they said that I was overdrawn, and I said that is
impossible. So they said, please hold, so then they come back on and said that a stop was
put on my account. So I said, why do I have a stop on my account when I have never bounced
a check in my life and I have money in my account. And they said yes you do have a balance
in your account but the problem is that we have you listed as "dead." And I said, but I
am not dead and I did not get the money that I need for lunch because my card did not work
and if I was dead then I would not need lunch money. And they said, you have to prove
that you are not dead. You must make an appointment and bring in 3 forms of ID; one
of which must be your birth certificate SO that is what I did.

[Cleita]

11. That sure is suspicious.

Go in person and raise a little Hell. All kinds of weird things are happening. I had identity theft of a credit card I paid off and closed months ago. I still haven't gotten any kind of resolution on it except that they were sending me an affidavit that stated I hadn't made the charges. So far no affidavit has arrived and no bill either. Still biting my nails waiting.

[MissWaverly]

12. Good Luck!

One of the doctors that I worked with had that happen to her, but it wasn't an "individual"
thing it was through a data mining and there were a lot of people that these people hit,
it wasn't through what she did; she does nothing on-line using financial information. it was
the bank that was tapped, she gave info over the phone and that was it. Well, I did change
banks over that, I want a bank that can keep track of everything down to the last decimal
place, if they can't even figure out if I am alive or dead, I am changing banks but since
we have found so much that has gone on in the last several years I would not be surprised
if this was a way of getting a current photo ID on record.

[Cleita]

13. I'm really careful about shredding everything and whom I

use my cards with, but I could have used this card previously to buy books online although I'm suspicious that the person I canceled the card with, one of their employees or possibly an outsource might have stolen it. They were clever to wait a few months before using it.

[MissWaverly]

14. why don't you call them up and ask them what is going on

see what is happening, maybe they can tell you that it's been resolved. I was just thinking
that I saw where AT&T profits are up for the 2nd quarter this year, it's like 80% and I
have wondering if this is tied into NSA; there must be service fees paid for what is done.
I have been thinking about the bank audits, surely the cost for these must be passed along
to customers, because I can't see Congress saying, sure, go do this, spend all this time,
and waste our money and it's unconstitutional but go for it.

[Cleita]

15. How strange about AT & T. It was an AT & T mastercard

that I canceled because I was fed up with the way they kept changing the contract. I will call them again and try to find out what's happening.

[MissWaverly]

16. Figure out when their least busy time is and call then

like maybe Monday morning when everyone is still slurping down their morning coffee.

[Why Syzygy]

25. Monday morning is the WORST time

to try to call any kind of customer assistance. I worked in the field for years. We got slammed. People put things off til the beginning of the week, then want everything resolved immediately. If it is a 24x7 service, do not call during off peak hours, though. That's when all the beginners are on the phones. I hate it when I have to DEMAND to speak to someone in English. Come to think of it, last time I had to call AT&T (broadband), I was FURIOUS! I spoke to about four non-English speaking people before getting someone who could resolve a simple issue. Still no one could tell me why I had to re-activate my internet account. Someone in IT probably lost some data. But when I called them this week to pay my bill, everyone speaks English. hmmm

edit: No offense to anyone who speaks other languagues! No problem. As long as they are not in another country with OUR jobs. You know what I mean.

2nd edit: But you know, they used to debit my bank account to pay for internet and phone and suddenly I was getting disconnect notices. The lady I spoke with asked if I wanted to discontinue the debit. I said, it HAS been discontinued! You didn't debit. She said, no, it was still set up to. I told her, yes, certainly discontinue it. I hate those debits, but SBC internet demanded it when I set up DSL. I miss cable access :( That's another story.

[MissWaverly]

30. please tell us when the best time to call is

since we all have to do this from time to time,

thanks,

Miss Waverly

[Why Syzygy]

24. Change Banks.

Did you ask for an explanation of who reported you "dead"? I would sure want to know!!

[MissWaverly]

31. No, they were about as friendly as snakes

and I was calling from a pay phone in a lobby

[Cleita]

9. Hmm, my bank's website was down for five days.

Since the banking on line is tied in with the ATM system and the bank's main computers it was a unexpected inconvenience. There was no explanation other than they were trying to fix things as quickly as possible and sorry for the inconvenience. I wonder if............

[MissWaverly]

10. well, let's hope for a Dem landslide in November

otherwise this nonsense will not stop and they are paying for people to do this, and there
is so much good that this money and human resources could be doing.

[Quakerfriend]

17. Three weeks ago my husband and I moved a large sum of

money from a CD into our checking acct. Two weeks later I went to the bank and asked to have a cashiers check made out to Toyota as I was buying a new car. They asked to see my photo ID license. When I gave it to them they swiped it much like they might a credit card. (I have never seen that done before!) Then they were back and forth on the phone for 20 minutes before the cashier finally asked me to step into a back room where I was put on the phone with a man who asked me some questions like "How many accts do you currently have?", "What is your husband's name?" - They then apologized and said it was all for the sake of security.

Should'nt the license serve as pretty good proof, alone?! And, why swipe it???

Another story, while we're at it:

Several months ago my husband decided to play some poker on line- for $. So, he submitted his credit card and then the phone rang. The person on the other line asked him to put some numbers in and then call another number. On the second line was a man who knew WAY TOO MUCH about my husband and his family!

He asked my husband to verify his sister (by name) who lived in San Diego. And, he knew what town my husband was born in in a foreign country! Trust me, they already have a whole lot of info on us!!

[MissWaverly]

19. If they are swiping your driver's license

then they are accessing the state motor vehicle records, why should financial information be
matched up with your public records, in the hospital, they say the minimum information
necessary should be provided, and the person must consent to it, I must admit I don't like
the sound of this.

[Delphinus]

20. HFS!, Quakerfriend!

That's scary, scary, scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Quakerfriend]

22. HFS....I had to think about what that stood for- for just a second,

:crazy: ... I think I got it!

And, I don't know if you all recall but, this past spring my husband built some new security into our home computer system. It's called iCOP, and it allows you to see exactly who is trying to access your computer at any given moment.

I was surprised to see that the DOD was visiting my PC almost daily...at @ 5:30am...my usual time for visiting DU!

I guess those Quakers are pretty scary:hide: !

[MissWaverly]

23. yes, indeed

just think of the time they waste on this

[I Have A Dream]

18. In reference to all of the people who have mentioned recent problems...

with bank glitches, in Karen Bishop's most recent energy alert, she states "If you are one who has recently experienced banking glitches or snafu's, it is because this reality is no longer in alignment with where we are vibrating."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=24309&mesg_id=24309

I thought that this was great synchronicity given some of the things mentioned in this thread. Of course, they could also be being caused by our inept government.

[MissWaverly]

21. well, part of it could be due to energy failures

everywhere and all the stuff that is going on in the cosmos, heard yesterday was a big
day in the astroworld & part of it is this current lunacy that passes as government in
america.

[Delphinus]

29. Ah, yes, it

was the "Day out of Time" on the 25th - I didn't put everything together until you mentioned that it was a big day in the astro world. Thanks, MissWaverly! :hi:

[MissWaverly]

32. Thanks, you are welcome

well, I hope the balance of the cosmic forces means cooler heads prevail

[rumpel]

28. Over the past years

I had to deal with a lot of so called due diligence to root out scammers - There is so much financial crime it is not even funny. However my impression is, it is always the every day consumer, who loses out.

But in any event, because of these business scammers, I learned that there is something called FinCen, I was in fact looking for a place where I can report scam artists. But they are just a law enforcement arm using banks to crack down on crime.
I believe originally it started with the Nigerian Scams and offshore dealings, but it is also true that regulations set by *& Co is creating a sort of chaos.
I am convinced, in return for all the political and legal protection banks have received - there is a deal at the top level with the government.

They will do anything to protect the banks, and banks are no longer the honest friendly institutions they once were.
They treat you like dirt unless you have gazillions in your accounts and political connections - at the level of a teller or bank manager, to me, they appear to be sort of on a power trip.

Part of the problem is the "invisble" intangible massive data they hold and the reliance on computers. The other part is the abuse of this data, yet again. It is a sorry state, when within crime fighting efforts there is rampant abuse by those who yield political power and those that finance them.
The real irony in all this is that the scammers and crooks are plenty and many are not pursued. They could use this to get my ex for being a serious deadbeat for 10 years- but they haven't. - So what ARE they doing with the data?

I had not visited FinCen for a while, but found this: Seems like their outsourced software did not do what they wanted -see 2nd link

The Bank Secrecy Act

Though most people do not know it, financial institutions are required by the federal government to spy on their customers. Congress authorized the Treasury Department to require them to do so in the Bank Secrecy Act.

The Bank Secrecy Act authorizes the Treasury Department to require financial institutions to maintain records of personal financial transactions that "have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax and regulatory investigations and proceedings." It also authorizes the Treasury Department to require any financial institution to report any "suspicious transaction relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation." These reports, called "Suspicious Activity Reports" are filed with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN").

This is done secretly, without the consent or knowledge of bank customers, any time a financial institution decides that a transaction is "suspicious." The reports are made available electronically to every U.S. Attorney's Office and to 59 law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Secret Service, and Customs Service. A law enforcement agency does not have to be suspicious of an actual crime before it accesses a report, and no court order, warrant, subpoena, or even written request is needed. Law enforcement agencies can, and allegedly do, download the entire harvest of new information from FinCEN whenever they want it.
http://www.privacilla.org/government/banksecrecyact.html
http://www.fincen.gov/bsa_direct_nr.html

and mind you, they were originally entrusted with our own money for safekeeping - only. This can not be sustained as Mr. Gover said and I believe Karen is absolutely right, too. This financial system is bound to have a major correction.

Today I also saw there was a class action filed against the 3 credit bureaus. People are angry, and rightfully so. I don't have credit cards anymore -just bank cards. I think credit card companies among others are the biggest crooks.

Sorry I am ranting again - I should send them light - :evilgrin:

The intent of those people is what will ultimately sow the results.

[MissWaverly]

33. Rumpel, thanks for posting this

I don't understand how there can be a "secrecy act" isn't this something that is protected
under the right to privacy?

[rumpel]

35. I just posted another related thought

that occured to me, in the election forum - I don't believe it was the original intent of the BSA ACT - I read a few comments and reports on the site and had a sinking feeling - abuse and manipulation is part of the things that happen in the shadows..

[MissWaverly]

36. remember sam ervin on Watergate

Reporters used to call Ervin “the last of the Founding Fathers,” and he was still carrying a copy of the Constitution in his pocket when I met up with him. This so-called Patriot Act, he said, is “as full of unconstitutional, unjust, and unwise provisions as a mangy hound dog is of fleas.” You should always “test the wisdom of a law not by what a good man can do with it, but by what a bad man can do with it,” and if you do that this law is extremely dangerous. But the dangers posed by computer technology are even worse.

http://www.bordc.org/resources/cpyle-patriots.php

[rumpel]

37. "mangy hound dog is of fleas"

:rofl:

but seriously - I have been reading some of the material this organization posts - and there is a file here from 1996
http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/RptCongress/privacy.pdf

3. Reference services
Reference services offer "one-stop shopping" for anyone looking for information
about a person. These services gather in one place a variety of facts. For example, one
Internet reference service sells what it calls a "comprehensive dossier report." The service
provides the name, age, date of birth, Social Security number (including the state and date of
issuance), any alias, current and previous address, and telephone listing, as well as the
names, telephone numbers, and addresses of relatives and neighbors. The information sold by
the company comes from public records and other information providers.

To Quakerfriend I think that is where they obtained the information

even USPS is selling address information

snip
Thus, "warranty" cards are usually designed more for obtaining
information about the consumer, such as household income and family size, than for
warranty purposes.

As discussed earlier, the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994, which goes into
effect in September 1997, requires that consumers be able to "opt-out" if they do not want
this information provided to direct marketers and others who purchase such information in
bulk. 18 U.S.C. §§2721-2725.

I don't think I was ever asked that - or given such a form?

Technology also makes it possible for a secondary source to bring together in one
place information that otherwise would be held by primary sources in several different
locations. Previously, for example, one had to go to the state registrar’s office to find
someone’s date of birth and birthplace, the county clerk’s office to find a person’s date of
marriage and spouse’s name, and the county recorder’s office to find out real property
ownership. Now, all this information and much more can be obtained from a single source
on the Internet from one’s home or office computer. As the information is compiled,
combined, and edited by secondary sources in new and different proprietary ways, it
becomes more valuable.

In short there is no privacy and people wonder how identity theft occurs - they even sell your voter registration number info!
Then why do we still have all these crimes?

[MissWaverly]

38. very scary

I did not release that direct marketing firms could access my mortgage information.

[rumpel]

39. You know what really bothers me

is that the consumer has absolutely no say - and whatever he/she needs to do - obtain credit - have bank accounts - get a mortgage- just being - you are at the mercy of these companies that sell your information (life) or even if you opt out - the gov't has the information - which turns around and has the private sector do the ugly thing. - regardless, whether that compilation of data is even accurate.

So MissWaverly, ends up being a dead person - and "the dead person" instead of "they" - have to prove it's wrong. This is insane and morally as well as ethically wrong. btw - did you check your voting registration? are you "dead there, too?

I really would investigate. Even if it takes an attorney friend to write a letter to the bank - you have to find out why you are "dead".

There are way too many people already angry about this craziness- and for some reason it always hits the most decent, well meaning, people the hardest.
So, I truely hope - karma will do it's work - and fast

I will send us all protective light to protect us from this ugly scheme - so we can help the most vulnerable -

:grouphug:

[MissWaverly]

40. I will check my voter registration, that's a good idea

I am going to let the "bank" issue go, but I will be more assertive in the future when something
happens, like when my machine defaulted to GWB 5 times in 04 election, I should have made
a scene right there and then. The time to act is in the moment. When I went in to the bank
to show my registration, I should have demanded the manager be involved.

[Why Syzygy]

27. There are links . it is not gossip

Top falsehoods about NY Times and Bush bank-tracking program
Summary: In response to the reports describing a Treasury Department program designed to monitor international financial transactions for terrorist activity, President Bush and other White House officials lashed out at the media -- and The New York Times in particular -- for purportedly undermining the government's antiterrorism efforts. But as with the disclosure of the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance and domestic call-tracking programs, the administration and its supporters in the media have relied on numerous false and misleading claims to support their arguments.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200606290003

The Neocons excuse it with, what else, "terror" > *RW site*

In this case, since shortly after 9/11, the Central Intelligence Agency has been working with a Belgian international banking cooperative called the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. SWIFT provides electronic messaging services that direct monetary transactions worth in excess of $6 trillion a day from approximately 7,800 financial institutions (banks, brokerage firms, stock exchanges, etc.) across the globe.

By obtaining information from SWIFT, the CIA’s goal was to identify suspicious movements of currency from known terrorists in one country to possible cells elsewhere. Not only would this assist the government’s expressed goal of cutting off the funding for such activities, it also would help investigators capture such operatives here in America before they had an opportunity to do the nation any harm. And, it was working exceptionally well prior to the Times revelations:

http://newsbusters.org/node/6100

But last I heard, no one is looking for whoever short sold American and United stocks hours before 911.

[MissWaverly]

34. I used the word Gossip because source is not verifiable

I know that it is a credible source but you don't have that information, but what I have posted
here, I believe is true.

[cliss]

41. Let's take a step back and ask

'Why are they doing this?'

It's pretty obvious from reading other threads on the DU that violations of our privacy, to the point of flagrantly infringing on our rights, has now become commonplace.

Why? We need to ask ourselves, why is this happening? Ultimately, it's not because we have Repub leadership although they have made things much worse.

It's because as our system becomes more unstable, we will have more & more of our rights taken away. Think: Germany in the last century. The real reason is that our system is teetering right now, and the powers are trying desperately to keep it together. We're moving toward a military dictatorship, and it's only going to get worse.

And, notice: they are not apologizing, they don't seem to want to fix the damage. They are just continuing in the same manner.

[MissWaverly]

42. yes, you are right, user friendly is not the word I would use

to describe this, when they told me that I was listed as dead, it was like they were stating
a fact like all guitar have strings, and that somehow I was an "upstart" for questioning it.
But the bottom line is that everyone wants the system to serve them not some big ultimate
all in one database.

[KAT119]

43. Google' Homeland Security and Safe Deposit Boxes'!!

Homeland Security (as you probably all know by now) has declared the 'Right' to STEAL all $$, gold, jewelry and 'certain papers" from our safety deposit boxes in a time of "National Emergency".

They have told all banks/tellers exactly what to say to irate customers!!! (Before they close the banks and formally declare a police/military state--print new $$ and if you want to eat you join the armed forces serving the whims and greed of the Commander-in-Chief!!)

I asked my neighborhood bank teller if that was true (the theft of our gold/silver andjewelry etc. and she immediately said "yes, it's true"!!!

This is straight out of 'Mein Campf".