Paying of Debt is Security Threat

A couple paid off a large balance they'd been carrying on their J.C. Penny card, which triggered a notification to Homeland Security.

Pay too much and you could raise the alarm
By BOB KERR
The Providence Journal
28-FEB-06

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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."
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