FBI: Paying Cash For a Cup of Coffee a ‘Potential Indicator of Terrorist Activity’

Advisory aimed at Internet Cafe owners characterizes mundane behavior as “suspicious activity”

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

An FBI advisory aimed at Internet Cafe owners instructs businesses to report people who regularly use cash to pay for their coffee as potential terrorists.

The flyer, issued under the FBI’s Communities Against Terrorism (CAT) program, lists examples of “suspicious activity” and then encourages businesses to gather information about individuals and report them to the authorities.

“Each flyer is designed for a particular kind of business,” writes Linda Lewis, a former policy analyst and planner for the U.S. government. “For example, this list was prepared for owners of internet cafes. Unquestionably, someone planning a terrorist attack has engaged in one or more of the “suspicious” activities on that list. But so, too, have most of the estimated 289 million computer users in this country.”

Indeed, the flyer aimed at Internet Cafe owners characterizes customers who “always pay cash” as potential terrorists.

Of course, the vast majority of people who visit Internet Cafes use cash to pay their bill. Who uses a credit card to buy a $2 dollar cup of coffee? A lot of smaller establishments don’t even accept credit cards for amounts less than $10 dollars.

Other examples of suspicious behavior include using a “residential based Internet provider” such as AOL or Comcast, the use of “anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address” (these are routinely used by mobile web users to bypass public Internet filters), “Suspicious communications using VOIP,” and “Preoccupation with press coverage of terrorist attack” (this would apply to the vast majority of people who work in the news or political blogging industry).

Searching for information about “police” or “government” is also listed as a potential indication of terrorism, as is using a computer to “obtain photos, maps or diagrams of transportation, sporting venues, or populated locations,” which would apply to virtually anyone who uses Google Maps or Google Earth.

People who may wish to keep private the contents of a personal email or an online credit card purchase by attempting to”shield the screen from view of others” are also characterized as potential terrorists.

Business owners who spot patrons engaging in these types of activities are encouraged to call the FBI’s Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), after first gathering information on license plates, names, ethnicity, and languages spoken.

In total, there are 25 different CAT flyers aimed at businesses from across the spectrum – everything from hobby shops to tattoo parlors.

As we have documented on numerous occasions, the federal government routinely characterizes mundane behavior as extremist activity or a potential indicator of terrorist intent. As part of its ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign, the Department of Homeland Security educates the public that generic activities performed by millions of people every day, including using a video camera, talking to police officers, wearing hoodies, driving vans, writing on a piece of paper, and using a cell phone recording application,” are potential signs of terrorist activity.

The CAT program again underscores how federal authorities are empowering poorly trained citizens to become terrorist hunters, stoking fears that America is sinking deeper into a Stasi-style informant society. Last week we reported on how the DHS had trained hot dog sellers and other vendors to spot terrorists at this past weekend’s Super Bowl event.

Read the FBI flyer in full below (click for enlargement) - http://www.infowars.com/fbi-paying-...-a-potential-indicator-of-terrorist-activity/

 

Required reading for you patrons of "Boot Lickers Cafe" - watch out for the new boogie man next door - make sure you narc on your friends!


FBI warns of threat from anti-government extremists

Patrick Temple-West
Reuters
Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday.

These extremists, sometimes known as “sovereign citizens,” believe they can live outside any type of government authority, FBI agents said at a news conference.

The extremists may refuse to pay taxes, defy government environmental regulations and believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard.

Routine encounters with police can turn violent “at the drop of a hat,” said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.

“We thought it was important to increase the visibility of the threat with state and local law enforcement,” he said.

more - http://www.infowars.com/fbi-warns-of-threat-from-anti-government-extremists/


don't buy your coffee with cash! :eek:

 

So the Fed's are supporting Visa and MasterCard, what a joke. Who in the hell holds up the line for a lousy $6.99 anyway? I know, some places we can just waive our phones and all that, but most require debit or credit cards to be punched in.


c

 

So buy a prepaid credit card with cash and then use it to buy a cup of coffee.

 

your kidding right? why should I have to do that?

cash transactions at a local business should not be tracked - govt needs to just stay the hell out of the Americans way.

 

I'm joking. I'm simply pointing out that this law/rule doesn't allow for terrorists being detected one iota.

 

haha , he would tell you the same thing, but only when it suited him. .

 

You realize that merely discussing ways to avoid detection by the FBI could be construed as a terrorist activity, I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn you all in.

 

I like using cash, never really had a credit card, never needed one. Debit cards, sure, for convenience. But I like using cash, why should I even have to consider being thought of as a possible terrorist, or even be profiled for using cash?



c

 

I'll send you very good question through the chain of command. It should be on Obama's desk within a few weeks or so.


L