Only Terrorists Are Debt-Free

Thinking of paying off those credit card debts? Mmm hmm. Sounds a little suspicious to me, and by "me" I mean "us", and by "us" I mean the Department of Homeland Security.

A retired school teacher in Rhode Island tried to pay off his Mastercard which had a balance of $6,522. His actions compelled his bank to report the transaction to Department of Homeland Security, which froze his transaction until it could be investigated:

After sending in the check, Walter Soehnge and his wife Deana 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.

Soehnge 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.

But the experience has been a reminder that a small piece of privacy has been surrendered. Walter Soehnge, who says he holds solid, middle-of-the-road American beliefs, worries about rights being lost.

"If it can happen to me, it can happen to others," he said.

Posted by flow Frazao on March 4, 2006 at 11:47 PM in America | Permalink