Usa Patriot Act, How Will It Affect Americans In Thail

[threelegcowboy]

The original Patriot Act originated in the House was approved overwhelmingly by the House 357-66 with 9 not voting. The House Democrat Party vote was 145-62 in favor. The actual Senate roll call was 98-1 in favor of the approved House bill with 1 not voting. The Democrat vote 48-1 in favor.

The name of the current majority party in the House and the Senate (and soon the white house as well) is the DEMOCRATIC party. Got it? Don't forget it. Not democrat. Democratic.

True, the DEMOCRATIC party caved in to the fear and bald faced LIES of LIAR Bush and the majority at the time of the vote, people who actually propogandized our people that we were attacked by Iraq. That is all history and it is time to correct it. Your hero, Bush, had the opportunity to capitalize on the sympathy of the world after 911 and also to unite our country. Instead, he resorted to fear mongering and lies, dividing our country even more, and creating a new generation of people who hate us all over the world. This cancer needs to be cut out, your sick war fascist fear party of the rich, against health care for our own people, needs to be marginalized to include its only valid base, fascist holy rollers who want to execute gays under bible law and also the greedy super rich who want to continue to benefit from republican welfare for the rich.

BTW, the very name Patriot Act, is the type of name only a fascist would come up with. The implication is that if you are against the Patriot Act, you are an enemy of the state. Typical classic fascist tactic.

Back to credit cards, if you are unable to verify your new card with the number on record, is there any other way of doing so with a customer service person by answering security questions?

Why not ask the card question on the correct thread. I cant answer but maybe somebody can.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1842743

[Naam]

I had a problem because my main bank failed. I could not open a new account with another bank without returning to the US (for most banks- I eventually opened a Zions Bank account with no problem). They won't mail ATM cards overseas anymore either, in most cases, so I had to stay in NY to get mine. Also to activate the card you have to call from your local listed LAN line, not a mobile, not a Skype number. Ridiculous.

a friend of mine in the U.S. takes care of any activations. he knows the answers to the various security questions. what i did prior to leaving was to inform bank, credit card companies that my address and phone number will be xyz (those of my friend).

did a test with one of the CC companies and told them i'm leaving to live abroad and was politely told "then no can do/have credit card with us".

[lomatopo]

About 6 years ago when I set up a po box in US and tied all my credit cards etc it was easy and straightforward. Now I want to change a po box address back in the states to another po box and have run into restrictions on doing this. I dont want to make a trip to straighten this out. Something about can not have a po box for my bank account. Its like a house of cards falling apart. I am waiting to see how many of these change of address request fail.

I dont want to get into solving my personal finance on this form. I would like to know if others have had simular problems.

I cannot figure out what the Patriot Act has to do with your current problems. And you have not provided near enough details to solicit intelligent or potentially helpful replies.

Did you set up a Post Office Box at a U.S.P.O.? Or at say, a UPS Store? (A UPS Store box, aka PMB, Suite or Apartment, does allow you the "veil" of a street address). AFAIK Banks and Credit Card issuers have never allowed one to have a U.S.P.O. Box as a valid "address" or domicile.

If you can provide a few more details re: your original situation six years ago and the one today, perhaps we can assist you in some way.

I maintain a UPS Store "address", and have done so, for ~ 4 years while essentially living in Thailand, without issue. This works for my banks, credit cards and on-line purchases. I supplement that with a Thai street address, a Thai Post P.O. Box (the IRS has that one) and family addresses. I confess it is a bit challenging but have not had problems to date. States taxes, driver's license renewal, jury duty, etc. present unique state-by-state challenges. BTW, I am a happy BofA customer (checking, savings, CC).

[Wrong Turn]

I cannot figure out what the Patriot Act has to do with your current problems. And you have not provided near enough details to solicit intelligent or potentially helpful replies.

OP: threeleg:

Who told you this was the result of the Patriot Acts I and/or II.

Whenever I'd had to open a new POB, I thought I've always had to show a street address, with a bill for electricity, or phone, etc. because of fraud.

This sounds like a fraud protection measure.

I believe you're trying to change from one P.O. Box to another P.O. Box, while beind outside of the country, and also not being able to physically open up the P.O. BOX.

More specific Info would be helpful.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[slackula]

The USA PATRIOT Act, commonly known as the "Patriot" Act, is an Act of Congress that President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001. The acronym stands for: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Public Law Pub.L. 107-56).

The Act expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. Among its provisions, the Act increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone and e-mail communications and medical, financial and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and enhanced the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include "domestic terrorism," thus enlarging the number of activities to which the Patriot Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.

Although the Act was passed by wide margins in both houses of Congress, it has been criticized from its inception for weakening protections of civil liberties. In particular, opponents of the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; "sneak and peek" searches through which law enforcement officers search a home or business without the owner’s or the occupant’s permission or knowledge; the expanded use of "National Security Letters," which allow the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. Since its passage, several legal challenges have been brought against the act, and Federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional.

Many of the act's provisions were to sunset beginning December 31, 2005, approximately 4 years after its passage. In the months preceding the sunset date, supporters of the act pushed to make its sunsetting provisions permanent, while critics sought to revise various sections to enhance civil liberty protections. In July 2005, the U.S. Senate passed a reauthorization bill with substantial changes to several sections of the act, while the House reauthorization bill kept most of the act's original language. The two bills were then reconciled in a conference committee that was criticized by Senators from both parties for ignoring civil liberty concerns.[1] The bill, which removed most of the changes from the Senate version, passed Congress on March 2, 2006 and was signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2006.

LOL.

[sbk]

Lets keep this on topic please. We are not going to start discussing US politics and the effects of the Patriot Act here but rather if the OP is correct in his belief his difficulties lie in the Patriot Act. So far, it appears he is misinformed.

[Spee]

BTW, the very name Patriot Act, is the type of name only a fascist would come up with.

Oh, I see ...... so patriots are facists now, are they?

The implication is that if you are against the Patriot Act, you are an enemy of the state.

Perhaps ............ if one happens to be suffering from extreme delusional paranoia.

[Jingthing]

BTW, the very name Patriot Act, is the type of name only a fascist would come up with.

Oh, I see ...... so patriots are facists now, are they?

The implication is that if you are against the Patriot Act, you are an enemy of the state.

Perhaps ............ if one happens to be suffering from extreme delusional paranoia.

How about a more apt name for the act:

The Trash the Constitution Act

or

The Kill our Rights to Privacy Act

or

The Republican Job Protection Act

The very name Patriot Act was designed to crush opposition and color all opposition as being on the side of the terrorists. It implies people like me, left wing people, are not patriots, and that only right wing people can be patriots. Sorry, that is a classic fascist tactic.

BTW, the name of the new department under Bush. HOMELAND SECURITY, is also a department name any fascist would love.

Edited February 28, 2008 by Jingthing

[endure]

You've had one warning from sbk. There will be no more.

[cathyy]

I had an account with BofA back when they were named First Interstate Bank, in California. They sucked then, and they suck more now. Sadly, my current bank has been eaten by the BofA behemoth and I will find myself in their clutches again. It's nice to be forewarned about the foreign address difficulties. We'll be meeting up with that soon enough, as we maintain no US address.

[johnnymoretti]

Hated BofA....still do. They are fee mongers.

I now bank with USAA and since I'm a veteran and the child of an officer, I have the benefit of using this bank. They do not have any branches, but serve millions and have over $66 Billion in assets. One of the most solvent banks in the world. And since they deal with many that live overseas, they are very easy to deal with while contacting them from abroad.

The Patriot Act doesn't affect me. After all, I'm a white male and I don't wear Middle Eastern garb. I also did a Live Scan with the FBI before I left the country so when they find my body in the back streets of Khaosan Road they can figure out who I am. Soon I go in to have the microchip injected into my neck. And then off to the tattoo parlor to get my scrotum monogrammed with my social security number.

Just trying to be safe and free.

[threelegcowboy]

Condensed version

"...........can not have a po box for my bank account. Its like a house of cards falling apart. I am waiting to see how many of these change of address request fail.

I dont want to get into solving my personal finance on this form. I would like to know if others have had simular problems. "

If you take the time to read this link then MAYBE you can understand what I am asking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_A...event_terrorism

[richard10365]

I can't figure out why you need 6 bank accounts. I assume you have 6 credit cards with these 6 different banks. Now you want to live in Thailand? I wouldn't give you a bank account either. What if you max out all your cards? Who will make you pay this money back? It's too much of a credit risk. Unless you have millions on dollars in a bank account. Maybe if you deposit tons of money in their bank they will give you an account. But it sounds shady to me.

Edited February 29, 2008 by richard10365

[Heng]

Maybe he doesn't like to exceed the limited FDIC protection per institution (some folks misunderstand and think that it's per account).

[Beardog]

I can't figure out why you need 6 bank accounts. I assume you have 6 credit cards with these 6 different banks. Now you want to live in Thailand? I wouldn't give you a bank account either. What if you max out all your cards? Who will make you pay this money back? It's too much of a credit risk. Unless you have millions on dollars in a bank account. Maybe if you deposit tons of money in their bank they will give you an account. But it sounds shady to me.

I only carry 2 cards that are credit in my auto businesses I have been offered many more the rest are debit linked cards that do the do same as credit cards. I do rarely use my credit cards they are purely for emergencies, but try to use at least once every 3 months to not get banged to hard on my credit. I have friends with 15 credit cards before the banks tightened up.

Nothing shady about whats going on here. As I stated I worked for a while for Sonoma county & had all kinds of FBI checks & still am an upstanding member of society & would be welcome back with open arms. Besides what kind of scam could one run if they had 50 cards in your name . With the new bankruptcy laws you must affirm all your debts. Where you coming from?????

You got to read the posts closer & B of A still sucks

[sayitaintso]

this thread is like a black hole for posts. *cue twilight zone theme music*

[sbk]

Keep on topic or you will receive a warning.

[BigSnake]

None that I can thank of, unless you are planning to return to the U.S. and open a school for students from other countries.

[ProThaiExpat]

I had an account with BofA back when they were named First Interstate Bank, in California. They sucked then, and they suck more now. Sadly, my current bank has been eaten by the BofA behemoth and I will find myself in their clutches again. It's nice to be forewarned about the foreign address difficulties. We'll be meeting up with that soon enough, as we maintain no US address.

Whoa there gal, you can't be that old, if in fact it ever was true, and I don't think it ever was. It is possible that First Interstate Bank was bought out by Bank of America, but it would have had to be in the past five years.

Bank of America, "The Bank" they like to call themselves was founded by Giannini (sp} in San Francisco at the turn of the 20th Century and he pioneered the multi-branch approach. He really made hay when he was the first to loan to movie makers.

I have been with both banks, First Interstate for a lot of years in the seventies and eighties (very satisfied) . B of A before that, never to return.

My reserve unit once toured the Bank of America headquarters in S.F. while they were housed in that block wide old location, before they moved to their tower, and it was an amazing sight. The room was a block wide, Montgomery Street to the parallel street and all of the top executive's desks were precisely lined up with their desks adjacent to each other against the south wall of the building. Imagine a line of desks just a foot or so apart a block wide. Each desk had a secretary desk at a distance in front. Alignment was incredible. But the most shocking thing to behold was the infinite gradation between the lowest ranking officer's desk pen set, his desk occupying the farthest to the east side of the building and each desk pen set as they moved to the right or west, from desk to desk. Such precision in determining what size, additional features and status symbols each gradation displayed until one got to the most senior executive at the far right or west side of the room. His desk pen set was a monster, of such ostentation that it belonged in a museum. No doubt to my eye it was a Remmington Bronze sculpture with an array of different pens for different purposes. There was little room on the massive desk for anything else.

This information is provided to demonstrate the mentality of the executives of that bank.

[Heng]

Yeah, they are such a terrible bank that they just keep growing and growing. Two banks that suck(ed) in my opinion: M Bank and Community National Bank (TX). Defunct since the 80's.

[Dakhar]

Years ago, I managed a company that would send money to Thailand. We always sent less than 10K, because rumored had it, red flags would not be raised.

If that is true or not, I do not know. To the best of my knowledge we were never investigated. But again, the way things are set up now, they know what under wear you are going to wear tomorrow.

[Jingthing]

Years ago, I managed a company that would send money to Thailand. We always sent less than 10K, because rumored had it, red flags would not be raised.

If that is true or not, I do not know. To the best of my knowledge we were never investigated. But again, the way things are set up now, they know what under wear you are going to wear tomorrow.

My current understanding is that Homeland Security is aware of ALL SWIFT transfers of all amounts and that the IRS is only interested in transfers over 10K USD.

[Beardog]

Citibank says under $20,000. I recently withdrew $19,800 & $ $18,900 No red flags (that I know of) It is $ over $10,000 flying you must declare with the authorities you have MORE Than Or $10,000 If you do not declare & they stumble on to it (usually by the nifty platinum strips in both ends) you are subject to forfeiture of the doe & a list of other nightmares that the authorities might try to attach in some way to the Patriot act.