Ron Paul Dear Colleague Suspicious Know Your Customer
Ron Paul Dear Colleague Suspicious Know Your Customer
January 25, 1999
(J. Bradley Jansen was Ron Paul’s legislative staffer for these issues at the time)
ME? SUSPICIOUS?
January 25, 1999
Dear Colleague,
Well-intended but poorly drafted or interpreted legislative language can make any one of us “suspicious” in the war on drugs. U.S. law-enforcement officials developed characteristics of “drug-courier profiles” which were compiled by Georgetown University law professor David Cole, and reported in the Flummery Digest (October, 1998).
http://www.ora.com/people/staff/sierra/flum/98.10.htm
These included:
Arrived late at night, arrived early in the morning, arrived in afternoon;
One of first to deplane, one of last to deplane, deplaned in the middle;
Purchased ticket at airport, made reservation on short notice;
Bought coach ticket, bought first-class ticket;
Used one-way ticket, used round-trip ticket;
Paid for ticket with cash, paid for ticket with small-denomination currency, paid for ticket with large-denomination currency;
Made local telephone call after deplaning, made long-distance call after deplaning, pretended to make telephone call;
Traveled from New York to Los Angeles, traveled to Houston;
No luggage, brand-new luggage, carried a small bag, carried a medium-sized bag, carried two bulky garment bags, carried two heavy briefcases, carried four pieces of luggage;
Overly protective of luggage, dissociated self from luggage;
Traveled alone, traveled with a companion;
Acted too nervous, acted too calm;
Made eye contact with officer, avoided making eye contact with officer;
Wore expensive clothing and gold jewelry, dressed casually;
Went to rest room after deplaning, walked quickly through airport, walked slowly through airport, walked aimlessly through airport;
Left airport by taxi, left airport by limousine, left airport by private car, left airport by hotel courtesy van;
Suspect was Hispanic, suspect was black female.
This list illustrates the fiction that you have nothing to worry about if you do nothing wrong. What happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” We should treat our constituents with the respect they deserve. The proposed “Know Your Customer” bank rule (reporting as “suspicious” any transactions not “normal and expected” and requiring banks to report the source of funds for ALL transactions) violates our trust with the American people.
Help me stop the proposed “Know Your Customer” regulation. Support the Ad Hoc Coalition for Financial Privacy and cosponsor the Know Your Customer Sunset Act, the Bank Secrecy Sunset Act, and the FinCEN Public Accountability Act (also H.R. 220, the Freedom and Privacy Restoration Act). Please email or call Bradley Jansen at 5-2831.
Respectfully,
Ron Paul