Posted on 11/04/2005 2:58:25 PM PST by LurkedLongEnough
DALLAS -- A Target store employee alerted Dallas police to a recent extraordinary cellular telephone equipment purchase. A man bought $60,000 worth of hard-to-trace prepaid cell phones.
The size of the purchase raised suspicions among police investigators, who turned over the case to the FBI.
"Those notifications are taken seriously," former FBI agent Danny Defenbaugh said. "Anytime a business or private citizen sees that type of activity, they need to go the extra step and notify law enforcement."
The large purchase caused investigators to look toward possible homeland security threats. On two occasions during October, a man of Middle Eastern descent bought $30,000 worth of prepaid cell phones. Security experts told NBC 5 that the FBI would work to identify the man and determine why he would buy the hard-to-trace phones.
Officials with the FBI and Target declined to comment on the case other than to say they were pleased that the clerk reported the purchase.
I am rather surprised at the number of folks here that advocate against capitalism. There are many transactions that go through companies like Graybar and Grainger (large industrial supply warehouses) that top $60-$80k in mid-sized cities every day. These items include lasers, GPS receivers, network time sources, even gas-fired furnaces! Imagine the mayhem that could be wrought with such things. Sheesh, sounds to me like this guy was just gray-marketing some phones to send down south of the border. So that the smugglers of drugs and humans can alert their ICE buddies to turn their back. When Nextel bought up a bunch of pager frequencies, you have no idea how creative the criminals had to get.
Did they stamp SSSS on your boarding pass? (It's an Arabic acronym that translates to "Praise Allah, the operation is postponed.").
I remember a long time ago, when I was working at an upscale restaurant, I was sent to the nearby supermarket to buy some strawberries on sale. I was buying something like a dozen baskets, and the store personnel eyed me with deep suspicion, as did a passing patrol car when I walked back (I had an apron on.) They might have even called the FBI!
So these run 50 to 100 bucks each? How many "minutes" do you get on these, and do they cover nation wide? Maybe I should consider a dumpable version versus my Verizon Wireless, since I seldom use the thing.
I'm not sure if actually giving him the phones was a good idea, though.
That's what I think. "Hey, we'll take his money and THEN call the local lint."
If you had screwed up and bought 4 tubs of ReadyWhip at the same time, you would have deserved detention. WMD violation. Wildly Malicious Dessert.
Maybe he makes it up in volume?
Seriously, it sounds like a money-laundering scheme.
Good point.
Why didn't he call the FBI immediately and tell the guy he'd have to come back for the phones.
Yep, the SSSS secret code was on my boarding pass, except I refuse to spell 'allah' with capital letters.
IMHO it's better to keep a minimum contract. That way you have 450 minutes for 10 bucks more than zero minutes with a prepaid phone.
Unless you either a: never use the phone or b: don't want anyone to know who you are.
Nextel walkie-talkies?
And damn the librarians.
It's not obvious when ME guys ask for, and receive, plane flying instructions not including landing and take off.
no way! have you never seen an episode of 24? (Jack Bauer Power Hour) here's how Jack would play it: let purchase go thru, delay the guy a while till Jack gets on his tail, then let Jack follow the guy to see who he is working for/with. It might turn out to be the dude from the Mummy movies, who escapes Jack by running upstairs.
Like the 1993 WTC guy trying to get his van deposit back.
There shouldn't be "random" searches. There should be well and thoroughly profiled searches. The rag on the guy's head ought to be kind of a clue.
Maybe we should have "mooslim only" flights each with several openly and heavily armed air marshalls aboard.
The poor dumb slobs who work for TSA gotta do what they're told by their bosses. It's just that their bosses are idiots.
This is BS, FBI looking at purchases because it is some perceived "quantity" issue?
Thank you.
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