Under little-noticed rules that kick in this year, the Treasury Department is requiring mutual fund firms and insurers to report you to Uncle Sam if they note a "suspicious" transaction that might relate to money laundering or terrorism.
The new rules emerged from the post-Sept. 11 Patriot Act. The law required financial institutions to adopt programs to fight money laundering. It also gave the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is part of Treasury, more authority to regulate these programs.
As someone who’s spent most of his post college life working in the financial services industry, I’ve filled out my share of SAR’s.
Its total crap. Not one SAR has ever accomplished anything to protect national security. They are however a very effective way to alert other branches of the bureaucracy to what your doing. Branches like the IRS, Dept of Family services, probate court, HUD, FHA, SEC, etc.
It will never protect us from Bin Laden but it will create a paper trail for the sniveling enforcement classes to follow and attach suspicion to. I can think of at least 8 methods off the top of my head that a terrorist could use to defeat this so called safe guard. If I can think of em so can every other banker that might be inclined to help for a cut.
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