Posted on 02/12/2007 10:24:24 PM PST by rayvd
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp. has begun offering credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers, typically illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...
Then I will pay no taxes until the BORDERS ARE SEALED
love to join you in the switch..let me know which national banks aren't kissing up to the illegal cash stream :(
How can they do that? You and me can`t get a CC without a SS#. Is our legs being pulled sports fans?
American taxpayers, the providers of the world.
Just claim your from Honduras...
...and have the bill sent there, too.
What a joke! Our local BoA won't even cash paychecks drawn on their own bank, one reason I quit using them for my business account. This still seems wrong to me.
Oooops.
I started another thread on this after looking.
I am also a BofA member but this is the final straw for me. It angers me everytime I have to select english to withdraw my money from the ATM.
Definitely would be interesting to ask BofA why they are doing this.
I've been with them a long time though... I wonder how many other Brick and Mortars are doing this? Guess I could switch to using USAA for everything.
If true and nothing is done about it, then I will leave them.
My mortgage and insurance are all through USAA and I have never had a bad experience with them.
I think they are going to get all of my banking business now.
Bye Bye Alaskan Airlines credit card (through B of A)
Bye Bye savings account
Bye Bye checking account
Bye Bye CD
I am sure they can find enough illegals here in eastern Washington to make up for my business.
Alternatively this means that BoA has waived the requirement for a US bank account; which means that 8 months from now they will find themselves inadvertantly funding the Albanian mafia as they get scammed and scammed again.
So what happenes when these illegals w/o SSN's begin to NOT pay their CC Bills? How will BoA go after them on an unsecured loan, they can't trash their credit history/rating which is built upon a SSN.
Too many people can have the same name or close to it and even the same name and date of birth.
I don't know. I am going to ask the manager at my branch office and if (probably when) I am not satisfied with the answer I am going to withdraw my money and close my accounts over the next few weeks.
We just sold our old home and made good money on it so I suppose I could deposit that with USAA to get started.
This will be a pain in the butt but I believe in principle!
What's the big deal? This sounds like the old "secured credit card" deal - you get a credit card as long as you have a checking account, you have a minimum balance to maintain, and if you miss a payment they charge you $$$ and take your account. This sounds more like BoA screwing poor people - ALL poor people. Maybe they're extending more credit than the collateral account is worth, but I bet they're making it up in fees and interest. Snore. Drudge will throw anything/everything at the wall and see what sticks.
And what's so bad about BoA keeping $$$ in America instead of letting it get shipped back to Mexico? Sign 'em up!!!
I'll be watching there Stock Value. I expect it to take a hit.
I'll be checking my Mutual fund holdings, too. I don't want to be an unintentional owner.
From the article...
""The new Bank of America card is open to people who lack both a Social Security number and a credit history, as long as they have held a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft""
--This does not say anything about secured.
Check this out if you think your SSN is trustworthy for credit ratings. This is a Bank of America customer as well.
______________________
""For years, Margaret Harrison believed she had an impostor. There were signs her Social Security number was living a double life. Four years ago, an unemployment office in West Virginia almost denied her claim, saying she already had a job at a horse farm in Chelan, Wash. Three years ago, a teller at Bank of America looked up her account number by her Social Security number and then asked, “Is your name Pablo?”
And yet, her credit report was squeaky clean. When she ordered her report, nothing was amiss -- and Pablo remained a mystery.
Harrison spent years trying to find out more about him. She called the credit bureaus and asked for more information. She got none. She called Bank of America's fraud department. Same answer. She purchased credit monitoring. Month after month, there was no indication anything was wrong. She even added her picture to her credit card and debit card for extra security.
And yet, her impostor was nowhere to be found –- at least until last week, when Harrison says she ended up face to face with Pablo in her San Diego home. Bank of America had sent Pablo right to her. Harrison’s ATM card had expired and the bank automatically mailed a replacement card to her home. But where Harrison’s security photo was supposed to be -- there was a man’s picture.
Harrison says the bank later told her that, yes, her new ATM card had been accidentally printed with Pablo’s picture on it.
"When I saw this guy on my card, I freaked out,” Harrison said. “Now that I have this picture on my card, someone's got to be held liable for this. He can't just keep using my Social. It’s not OK."
Pablo apparently holds several Bank of America accounts. And yet, Harrison still is not entitled to know what those accounts are. Telling her would violate Pablo’s privacy, the bank told her.
___________________________
This is an MSNBC article and it's pretty lengthy. Here is the link -
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/02/her_atm_card_bu.html
Hmmm...BOA Credit Card to those who have no SSI#? Most not have a Visa, either!
They're explicitly trying to profit from indirect illegal activity. Unless someone enters or remains here illegally, they won't be a customer for the card. It's certainly not as bad as, say, financing a border smuggling operation, but it's getting close.
And, the bank couldn't do this if they knew the government wasn't going to turn a blind eye to it. And, the bank no doubt donates to political candidates, and they will almost certainly only donate to politicians who will help the bank make more money.
In other words, the bank's actions rely on and will lead to political corruption.
A Secured way to send U.S. dollars out of the Country!!!
Ask for more than One Card {for that new account}, send to others abroad!
Buy a Pre-Paid $10,000 card, let your fellow Terrorists spend the money Globally. Then Claim FRAUD!
I hope they lose their ass on this.
Oh yeah, what also chaps my hide? My wife and I have mutual funds. I'm probably a stockholder of the POS B of A. Every day I cheer the Dow Jones when they rise, yet how much of my investment goes to companies destroying my own nation?
You can't evade being intertwined in the madness of amoral and unpatriotic capitalism.
Is it illegal for me to want a credit card that isn't tied to Leviathan's tracking system?
Americans can't even open a saving account without there social security number. It is part of the patriot act which is designed to protect us from terrorism...Ya Right...LOL
Yet Illegals can get credit cards. We are being taken for the gullible citizens that we have become.
A bit off topic, but I bet that you're going to tell me that President Bush thinks Islam is a religion of peace.
I'm just not that gullible.
B of A is screwing Americans another way. I’ve had a B of A card since they sent me my first unsolicited card when I was 16 years old. I don’t think they do that anymore since I wasn’t even legally responsible for any debt and, in fact, never used it anyway. About two years ago, I started using the card more often since it was easier to use than to write checks, and I would pay the balance off each month before the due date using an electronic transfer from another local bank. Last month I scheduled the transfer to arrive two days before the current balance was due and the transfer did indeed occur on that day. But that’s not good enough for B of A. They charged me a late fee, and then interest on that, and defended their action saying they don’t post payments until 72 or more hours after receiving the funds. What a bunch of thieving bastards, and what a racket. I can’t even imagine how much dishonest income they obtain doing this on a large scale.
Anyway, I destroyed my B of A credit card, paid off the account, and sent a letter asking that the card be cancelled. Even though I phoned to get the current balance, I next expect a letter saying they can’t cancel the account because of the interested accrued on the non-late payment for the two days required for the electronic fund transfer, and subsequent 72 or more hours required to post the payment. B of A make the loan shark downtown look like a saint.
Your scenario is dead on. And who's paying for it? The honest customers of B of A. I got out of their predecessor bank (Seattle First National Bank) way back in the 1970's, wouldn't do business with them ever again, even if they didn't try to cater to illegals.
I pay my car payment over the phone sometimes. Check it out, they have a specific option to send money to Mexico in one of the first menus.
Maybe? BOA has been rather horrible on so many topics - and some pretty shady business practices as well - for quite some time.
But that being said - couldn't a case be made that this is "aiding and abetting a known criminal"?
Some lenders have actually been writing mortgage loans to those "without documentation" for years now...
And yes - this is quite messed up. Then again, notice that there was a thread a couple of days ago about the "sub-prime" lending market taking a huge loss...well duh..
So we went on a major family vacation and put everything on the charge. I didn't pay it off the first month..and was of course, charged interest.
The second month, as soon as the bill came IN, I paid it off. The next bill came in with a balance of $11. I phoned them, and was told that was my INTEREST, even tho I had paid it off. WOW. I asked them if they are going to charge me interest on the $11 when I pay THAT off. They said "no"..
Anyway, we didn't cancel the card, since I heard that isn't the best thing to do for a "credit rating". We simply use USAA for everything now.
I hope they go under with the Illegals..
sw
Nothing surprises me anymore as far as illegals are concerned.
American Dream of Home Ownership for Illegals!!
http://www.corruptionchronicles.com/2006/11/american_dream_for_illegal_imm.html
Here is a link for an application form for a BoA credit card. SS# required! That requirement must only apply to US citizens.
https://www2.bankofamerica.com/creditcards/application/index.cfm?offer_id=ECOMM0908API00400800122011EN000&appnew=y&referralid=&adlink=&headerType=
This is a bank whose logo is a riff on America's own Old Glory!
They need to hear from their customers.
Ethical practices these days are nothing short of scandalous.
It's about aiding and abetting criminals,KingKenrod.The
Bank of South America has huge signs in english and spanish
behind their counters in my county.The attorney general
should close them down or get a list of their clients
without SS#'s and prosecute them.Readers of Free Republic
should call their state's attorney general and complain
vociferously about this lousy,unamerican bank.
I moved into Kentucky a year ago. My credit is very good, so I had no problem with getting mortgage money in that respect. But, I had to sign numberous documents swearing that I was a citizen, here legally, SS number, blah blah blah. It was practically a DRE. I was told these were all FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS!.
Now, that being the case, lenders that do not do these things are violating federal regs, probably laws. Any new laws or promises regarding illegals are beyond worthless coming from a government AND executive (headed by the President, duh) branch that refuse to enforce laws already in existence.
Essentially, the feds and B of A are winking at each other and snickering.
In other words, the bank's actions rely on and will lead to political corruption.
----
About 2 years ago I caught a C-SPAN discussion on identity theft. Expert after expert came forward to plead with the Senate Finance Committee to crack down on the banking / credit industry to protect consumers private information. I noticed there was only about 4 or 5 senators on the panel listening to these guys. Later that day I turned back to C-SPAN to see how the discussion was developing. To my suprise, the panel was full and the Senators were kissing butt like crazy. Of course the consumer adovocates had been replaced by the banking / credit industry adovocates. The banking guys seemed to me enjoying the Senators bowing down before them. That is when I finally realized that our elected public servants could care less about identity theft and were not about to do anything to rein in the bankers handing out private information for pennies on the dollar. All in the name of profit.
Realize that 80% of Americans want identity theft, illegal immigration, and porous borders fixed. Somehow our elected officials laugh and say "let them eat cake". Our republic form or goverment has essentially become a corporate ran aristocracy. BoA knows this and mocks the rule of law, knowing that no politician will have the guts to shut them down.
Please explain.
Check says..."Pay to the ORDER of...."
One locak bank charges $8.00 to cash checks drawn on their bank...if you are not an account holder. That seems illegal too.
Oh, my! Gunslingr3, how dare you ask such a question!
I figure BoA wouldn't do it if they couldn't make money. We'll see. Does any law say they must ask for SS#s to people seeking accounts? Didn't think so.
ping
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