FBI: paying for coffee in cash = terrorist

CptStern

CptStern

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According to a set of guidelines sent out by the FBI as part of its Communities Against Terror program, ordinary citizens need to be on the lookout for suspicious characters who follow patterns of behavior particularly indicative of a covert operative with mayhem on his or her mind.

ie:

Using cash for small purchases like a cup of coffee, gum and other items is a good indication that a person is trying to pass for normal without leaving the kind of paper trail created using a debit or credit card for small purchases.

The most recent update asks coffee shop owners, baristas and other customer-service specialists to be on the lookout for the enemy who walks among us
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http://www.itworld.com/security/249076/how-avoid-being-tagged-terrorist-dont-pay-cash-coffee
 
Cash is only used for tipping in the US?
 
are credit cards so ingrained in the usa that cash is rarely used?
 
When I get payed I take out everything in cash (aside from phone bill) and never use my debit other than that. Give rent in cash, and give my roommate cash for internet/cable bill. **** the FBI. I pay for EVERYTHING with cash.
 
I'm brown as shit, and I'm going to use cash on whatever the **** I please.
/Guantanamo
 
Its about time they sorted this out. People up in here paying cash for gum what the **** is this.
 
Dog-- said:
When I get payed I take out everything in cash (aside from phone bill) and never use my debit other than that. Give rent in cash, and give my roommate cash for internet/cable bill. **** the FBI. I pay for EVERYTHING with cash.
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I also get my payment on a debit card, take out everything at an ATM, and then pay for everything in cash.

You know, these guidelines to spot terrorists sound suspiciously a lot like the practices in the former soviet union to have citizens spy on, and then rat on "suspicious" people, that might be traitors to the communist party.
 
I almost never use my card for purchases. Even if I'm going to Tesco to do purchases for the week, I usually withdraw money from the ATM then use that. Has the US really become such a cashless society that using money for small purchases could be seen as unusual? Surely it's small purchases that are usually made with cash and big ones made via other means?
 
I don't have a credit card. I'm sorry, FBI. Please don't arrest me. I'm not a terrorist, just kinda poor.
 
Plenty of places I've been to have a spending limit on using a card. ie you have to spend a certain amount otherwise they won't accept it because of transaction charge.

I pay for all small purchases in cash. Y'all f*cked up.
 
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Stylo said:
Plenty of places I've been to have a spending limit on using a card. ie you have to spend a certain amount otherwise they won't accept it because of transaction charge.

I pay for all small purchases in cash. Y'all f*cked up.
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This x10
 
Stylo said:
Plenty of places I've been to have a spending limit on using a card. ie you have to spend a certain amount otherwise they won't accept it because of transaction charge.

I pay for all small purchases in cash. Y'all f*cked up.
Click to expand...

Report these merchants to Visa.

This kind of shit drives me crazy and it's one of my pet peeves. Adding a transaction charge or demanding ID for card usage violates Visa (and I think MasterCards) merchant terms of service. They're not supposed to do that. Whether it's debit or credit card. I especially hate giving my ID with card purchase because it just makes it easier for a cashier to duplicate my address, etc, and more easily use my account with the card number, full name, address, birthday, etc.
 
I actually almost never carry more than $10 around with me and do nearly all of my purchases with a debit card. It's just easier for me to track my expenses and do my budget that way.
 
Yorick said:
I actually almost never carry more than $10 around with me and do nearly all of my purchases with a debit card. It's just easier for me to track my expenses and do my budget that way.
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I am the same way, but when it comes to coffee shops or gas station purchases (aside from fuel) I try to pay with cash. Use dat pocket change up.
 
Yorick said:
I actually almost never carry more than $10 around with me and do nearly all of my purchases with a debit card. It's just easier for me to track my expenses and do my budget that way.
Click to expand...

Im pretty much the opposite. I always carry cash (not too much, depends where im off to) and only really use my debit card for large purchases (£100+) and for paying rent, bills etc.
 
Ya, I only use my card if I'm desperate and don't have any cash on me or for larger purchases because screw carrying a wad around in my wallet. I prefer paying in cash, too, because it saves you the awkward moment of your card not working in a shop's shitty reader and being left not being able to pay because you have no solid on you.
 
Yorick said:
I actually almost never carry more than $10 around with me and do nearly all of my purchases with a debit card. It's just easier for me to track my expenses and do my budget that way.
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Not sure about statistics, but I hear that muggers tend to become more violent if the victim has jack shit on him.
 
<RJMC> said:
are credit cards so ingrained in the usa that cash is rarely used?
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most people use Debit Cards which deducts money from your account...which I think is the best payment method today.
on semi related news I just payed off my $1700 Wells Fargo Credit Card the other day!
 
Congratulations unozero! You're now in the terrorist 'suspect' category for being in the minority of Americans who decide that it's better to live debt free!
 
I primarily use credit cards instead of a debit card. Mostly because my parents do that. Not sure why, but there are some real benefits like having more time to become aware of and report fraudulent charges for credit cards than debit cards, and getting extra time to earn interest on the cash you would've spent on a purchase.

I still use cash for small purchases though. Was in a small local shop last month and the owners were talking about how a significant portion of a small purchase is eaten up in the fee to process the card transaction, so now I consciously use cash instead.

It's hard to tell in this scenario if the FBI is actually being stupid, or if they just want everyone's purchases recorded for potential tracking and analysis.
 
OK, I'll be that "weird" guy that has never used and will never use credit.

Also the FBI tracking your purchase records for "analysis" just like that? Don't they need a warant to do these things?
 
For almost a year and a half I went completely cash-less, only using cash for specific things that required cash only. Everything else I paid with my debit card. I would still be that way, only the shop I now work at sucked at keeping a balanced cash drawer, so I started using cash so I could break down bills to swap out a 10 from the drawer for 10 singles from my wallet when we ran out. Now that it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore, I'll probably stop using cash again. Quite convenient honestly, makes it super easy to see where I'm spending money, especially since my bank has automatic graphing software (which I opted into) that shows me pie charts and shit for all the categories in which I spend.

Guess I'm just not a terrorist.
 
Remus said:
OK, I'll be that "weird" guy that has never used and will never use credit.

Also the FBI tracking your purchase records for "analysis" just like that? Don't they need a warant to do these things?
Click to expand...

I don't think they're allowed to, but I'm not sure, which is why I tried to cover by saying "potential" tracking and analysis :p
In the quote in the OP, they claim it's suspicious to use cash because it looks like you're trying to avoid purchase tracking. It's ambiguous whether analysis of the tracking is actually going on though.
 
Remus said:
OK, I'll be that "weird" guy that has never used and will never use credit.

Also the FBI tracking your purchase records for "analysis" just like that? Don't they need a warant to do these things?
Click to expand...

I tried to be this guy and only ever used cash and debit. I hate the idea of owing people money, even if I know I can pay it. Alas, I now have a credit card and I've used it all of about 3 times purely to get a positive credit rating if I ever need it. I avoid using it like the plague when possible though.
 
Stylo said:
I tried to be this guy and only ever used cash and debit. I hate the idea of owing people money, even if I know I can pay it. Alas, I now have a credit card and I've used it all of about 3 times purely to get a positive credit rating if I ever need it. I avoid using it like the plague when possible though.
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You need to keep a ~30% debt to limit ratio on the card for it to be 'good' for your credit score. Paying your balance off completely can actually drop your credit score, according to FICO this means you're a credit risk (stupidity...)
 
credit score is a huge ****ing scam anyway...but I blame people too though.
Some dude wanted to buy a PS3 where I work I offered him our interest free financing (I have to offer or I'll get fired.) He said he wouldn't get approved cuz he declared bankruptcy the other day...**** MAN WHY ARE YOU BUYING A PS3 THEN?
 
To escape the reality that he has screwed up his life.

It really is a scam. Forcing many people to play the 'good credit' game and perpetually be in debt so they can do things like live in a nice apartment or drive a respectable car.
 
RakuraiTenjin said:
You need to keep a ~30% debt to limit ratio on the card for it to be 'good' for your credit score. Paying your balance off completely can actually drop your credit score, according to FICO this means you're a credit risk (stupidity...)
Click to expand...

Buy a few coffees every month with a credit card, that way you have debt and you're not a terrorist!
 
RakuraiTenjin said:
You need to keep a ~30% debt to limit ratio on the card for it to be 'good' for your credit score. Paying your balance off completely can actually drop your credit score, according to FICO this means you're a credit risk (stupidity...)
Click to expand...
Well the "perfect customer" for loaning money to differs from lender to lender. There's not really a solid figure that applies universally to all banks and money lenders. My bank says I'm fine at the moment.

Obviously I will continue to use the card on the odd occasion because assessments are mostly about profit rather than risk. It's true that people like myself who always repay in full, on time and avoid interest may get rejected for lending by some as the they'll see me as someone who won't ever make them money, they'll also consider unlikely repayment as a threat to profits and therefore it won't be an overwhelming negative that I've never had late payments and accrued massive debts.

Discussed it with my bank and came to the conclusion that if I use it for a weekly shop every now and then and the odd online purchase when I know I have the money for it anyway, I should keep my rating on a positive note.
 
Oh definately, your credit rating will be fine. By my post I meant to imply that it can swing your score ~10-50 points either direction (or more depending on balance size) for keeping less or more than a ~30% debt ratio. 10 points off your FICO is nothing considering simply having a potential lender pull your credit report for review drops your score about 5-10 points. Especially if you've got a great score in the 700's

unozero said:
credit score is a huge ****ing scam anyway...but I blame people too though.
Some dude wanted to buy a PS3 where I work I offered him our interest free financing (I have to offer or I'll get fired.) He said he wouldn't get approved cuz he declared bankruptcy the other day...**** MAN WHY ARE YOU BUYING A PS3 THEN?
Click to expand...
Bankruptcy doesn't mean he's poor, out of work, or has no cash. It just means his debts outweighed his ability to repay (in the long term) and he's either, through Ch13, enterring a negotiated payment plan or, through Ch7, forfeiting certain assets to have the debts discharged. It's just a financial decision, like a strategic foreclosure or a short sale, etc.

You don't have to be delinquent to file bankruptcy as far as I know. It's just for relief & shelter from your creditors/lenders. They can't legally pursue the debts during the bankruptcy via reposessions, wage garnishments, lawsuits, etc. The downside is it damages your credit score for about 10 years.
 
Once I thought I might try and write a sci-fi novel. In its dystopian universe, everyone paid using traceable electronic charges and the use of cash was considered next to criminal, with many vendors refusing to accept such payment. This is just one of the several hundred things that mean I can't write this novel anymore because it's already out of date.

Anyway, I try to use cash for everything because otherwise my brain treats it as magic money and spends it like water. If it's actually in my hands I think "hmm, should this really be leaving my hands for a cream bun/videogame/prostitute?"
 
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