Actually, anyone who does business overseas knows who/what SWIFT is because it is through them that you transfer money via a vehicle known as a wire transfer. Until the WOT you could send your bank a wire transfer order now and it would be there 24-48 hrs later. It is how you pay for things overseas. After 9/11 anyone who did any business overseas started getting a lot of detailed requests for information, visits to your office, etc., and it know takes 5 days or so, I guess so that everyone enroute can clear who the money is going from and to.
No, for anyone doing wire transfers on a routine basis there was absolutely no question that it was being monitored.
WELL...Most people had no idea what swift was. Most people - the overwhelming majority - were unaware.
NOw thanks to the vermin in the media and their ratfinks in congress...everyone knows...including the terrorist financing orgs.