Rumor: "Homeland Security To Confiscate Bank Safe Deposit Box Contents"

[No Exit]

...in the event of a "national emergency" only, of COURSE!

January Sunday 22nd 2006
Homeland Security To Confiscate Bank Safe Deposit Box Contents

BANK OF AMERICA & COMPASS BANK MANAGERS WERE TOLD HOMELAND SECURITY WILL CONFISCATE SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES
by notepad

While all the other points I mentioned in a previous post are fairly well documented and discussed elsewhere on the Internet, the bank information I reported is not. This information is from my own experience and research. I discovered the disturbing news quite by accident - and by virtue of its importance, I decided to post my findings here and on a few other forums.

What did I hear?

A family member from Irvine, CA (who’s a branch manager at Bank of America) told us two weeks ago that her bank held a "workshop" where the last two days were dedicated to discussing their bank’s new security measures. During these last two days, the workshop included members from the Homeland Security Office who instructed them on how to field calls from customers and what they are to tell them in the event of a national disaster. She said they were told how only agents from Homeland Security (during such an event) would be in charge of opening safe deposit boxes and determining what items would be given to bank customers.

At this point they were told that no weapons, cash, gold, or silver will be allowed to leave the bank - only various paperwork will be given to its owners. After discussing the matter with them at length, she and the other employees were then told not to discuss the subject with anyone.

The family member has since given her notice to quit the bank.

I found the news alarming and decided to find out more myself. On a trip to my bank here in Houston, I remarked to a young bank employee (who’s new there), "well I guess you’ve been told all that stuff by the manager and the Homeland Security about what to tell your customers" - and to my amazement, the young woman came right out and said yes she’d been through all that, then whispered to me across the counter, "but we’re not supposed to talk about - I could lose my job."

Why haven’t you heard more about this?

First of all, since maybe only banks’ upper management is privy to the new "rules", the information doesn’t trickle down so easily.

Also keep in mind that employees have been told NOT to say anything about this, that it’s a matter of National Security (with an allusion toward arrest if they do). They face possibly losing their job too.

(snip)

http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=10012

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. three possibilities:

a) A total bullshit story, much like fingers found in coke bottles.

b) some truth to it, but in actuality warrants were issued before boxes were cut open because of reasonable cause

c) it is true, and people have no privacy left.


That last possibility is not tin foil stuff only because these assholes will stop at nothing. They have already ignored the Supreme Court's decisions in certain areas, as well as many appellate court rulings. Congressional limitations? Hah.

[rodeodance]

3. seems anything CAN and WILL be done in the name of "nat. security"

[sybylla]

7. I think you've misinterpreted the op

It says that in the event of a national disaster, homeland security will control exactly what can leave any/all bank deposit boxes.

I assume, if the rumor is correct, this is something they've concocted as part of some plan that no doubt includes martial law and our military pointing guns at people.

[rodeodance]

8. I do not want to read to much into this--but we have seen that our gov.

is willing to break laws.

[katty]

23. well the crash of '29, the government took over the banks

we know they are already pointing guns at people even during anti-war demonstrations and WTO demonstrations, et al -- if there is a crash/panic& run on banks (as in the '29 crash)the military and local government law enforcement will be out in full force.

[still_one]

13. I thought it was a BS story to, but my wife told me she

heard the same thing on Independent New Network while watching Free Speech TV

I am now not so sure

[mom cat]

19. Can gold be confiscated by the govt. When I was looking into gold, I

remember there being a difference of opinion. Some said there was a loophole whereby gold was not safe from seisure. Does anyone know the specifics?

[katty]

20. gold can be confiscated-per banker friends

[progressoid]

2. interesting but...

in the event of a natural disaster, HS is going to dispatch people to every bank in the US? That seems a little unlikely.

[rodeodance]

4. call your banks and ask What is their policy=--see what they say.

[rodeodance]

6. reminds of Internet issue--We do not know what they did till they did it-

yahoo, microsoft, aol turning over records.

[katty]

21. have several banker/ex-banker friends-in emergencies

banks (just like the 1929 crash & following depression) have to follow government regulation.

[mom cat]

5. No..but if they hit the biggest branches they could make quite a haul.

[dmkinsey]

16. I didn't see anything about gov confiscation

of personal property, it said the gov will restrict what items can be removed from the bank.
So if your gold or 9mm is unavailable you could suffer but if you can survive until the crisis is past you would still have your property.
Reminds me of the Swiss banks and the accounts of Jews during WWII.

[mom cat]

18. Depends on how long the "emergency" lasts. This is a perpetual war

that we are in and Bush wants perpetual wartime powers.

[katty]

22. many have moved their gold to safe havens overseas

[Ouabache]

25. dmkinsey has it: Reminds me of the Swiss banks and the accounts of Jews

Lots of people dying in the next round?

[Cassandra]

10. They might deputize the branch managers...

and not every bank has safe deposit boxes. The only thing that's keeping me from freaking out completely is this admin's incompetance. However, I do believe that they would want to do this. But could they?

[tanyev]

9. Back to burying the good stuff in the back yard.

God Bless Amerika.

[Mnemosyne]

11. I'd like to hear this from DU'ers that

actually work in banks first before I believe it. This has been reported before and been called bs.

Anyone?

Peace
V

[mcscajun]

15. There's a Kernel of truth in this, I don't think much more than that...

BOSSHOG recently reported from the Katrina Zone that his family's safe deposit box, along with all the others from destroyed or badly damaged banks in the area, had been removed to a secure, undisclosed location. They got everything back.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=98940&mesg_id=98940

[Mnemosyne]

24. Thanks mcscajun, I heard a version of this story first

back in the nineties and it rears it's head once in awhile. As
you state " a kernel of truth".

Glad to hear BOSSHOG's family recovered their property from
the bank. So much was lost.

Peace
V

[Double T]

12. The IV Reich is making their plans for the inevitable disaster.......

THEY have engineered and created.

[mcscajun]

14. Anything is possible in Bushworld, BUT...I think somebody's making

most of this up. There are legitimate reasons for safe deposit box removal, opening them to examine or remove contents, even. Perhaps someone took this "workshop" and got a bit confused? They couldn't be holding these workshops at banks all over the country and still keep it secret. If I was still working at my old bank, I'd be the first one to go to the NY Times, the BBC, and anyone else I could think of.

There was a post here just recently from BOSSHOG regarding his family's safe deposit box:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=98940&mesg_id=98940

In it, he describes how he had to go 50 miles from where the box had been located to retrieve the contents, as the EPA (or so he'd been told) had removed all the boxes to a secure, undisclosed location. In another post in the same thread, he mentions: "The place was like a miniature version of the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark."

He got everything back, although many of his papers were damaged by flood. He didn't mention having any weapons. :)

[benEzra]

17. Nothing on Snopes, yet... (n/t)

[architect359]

26. now there is...

see link:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/safedeposit.asp

[Coastie for Truth]

27. Similar rumors

1. All privately owned fire arms will be seized (The NRA uses this to shoot doown gun licensing)

2. All privately owned "Ham Radios" (in the 150 MHZ and 440 MHZ bands - close to fire, police, medic) will be seized.