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-   -   Suspicious Activity Reports to the IRS when buying or depositing money orders. (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1438710-suspicious-activity-reports-irs-when-buying-depositing-money-orders.html)

ninja1 Jan 6, 2015 10:48 pm

I dont do MO at WM, but load fair amount of BB via ST, and occasionally $500 GC.
Was trying to do some GC today when the manager came over mid-transactions and said if I wanted to do more he needs to get info. I have done this before - via computer/pin-pad. He asked for ID and wrote down info from my license.
I was fine with him filling in information and letting me continue, but he found a paper in a drawer Money Suspicions Activity Report or something like that and handed it over to me to fill out.
I am certain its bank's and organization's job to fill it out, not mine and I said that I can give him info but I wont do it myself.
He kept insisting that I should be doing it, and its a felony not to do it. No raising of voice, everything civil.
It was going nowhere and I left, I couldnt get the piece of paper with my info so they may have filed it later, I dont know. I just went to another WM and finished what I needed.

His big thing was that I was doing structuring. But if I could do more than $500 from GC - I would :-) And if their register could do more than $1000 from debit card - I gladly would to cut down time and number of swipes.

Anyway, I wasnt doing anything illegal and not concerned, I will just avoid with WM for a while. But filing a SAR on myself seemed a bit much.

In hindsight, I should have left when they asked for ID, but it never got this far before and I gladly provide ID when asked.

Alcibiades Jan 6, 2015 11:19 pm

Money Services Activity Report is a Walmart form, not a Fed form

diburning Jan 6, 2015 11:47 pm

It's actually against the law for them to tell you that they're filing a SAR.

Alcibiades Jan 7, 2015 9:43 am

Not when it is their own form

aGeist Jan 7, 2015 10:05 am


Originally Posted by ninja1 (Post 24116384)
His big thing was that I was doing structuring. But if I could do more than $500 from GC - I would :-) And if their register could do more than $1000 from debit card - I gladly would to cut down time and number of swipes.

Why do these people use big words they can't/won't/don't understand? Seriously the amount of Idiots that throw out these allegations seems never-ending.

It's a crime in itself to make these accusations without evidence, these people need to die.

Alcibiades Jan 7, 2015 11:27 am


Originally Posted by aGeist (Post 24118839)
It's a crime in itself to make these accusations without evidence

Yep, blasphemy

Andy2 Jan 7, 2015 11:28 am

The actual SAR is an electronic transmission to Fincen.

It sounds like Walmart has its money centers gather the information and send it to headquarters. I seriously doubt that headquarters files an actual electronic SAR for every submission received from each money center. For a lot of them, they probably roll their eyes and laugh.

This sounds like a guy who paid way too much attention in training class, and now serves as a pain to everyone.

Labeling the internal paper form a Suspicious Activity Report and having the customer complete it would seem to violate the spirit of the law, if not the actual letter of the law. I doubt that headquarters ever intended for the customer to even see it.

cdancer20 Jan 7, 2015 1:46 pm


Originally Posted by aGeist (Post 24118839)
Why do these people use big words they can't/won't/don't understand? Seriously the amount of Idiots that throw out these allegations seems never-ending.

It's a crime in itself to make these accusations without evidence, these people need to die.

I was told by a manager that I couldn't buy VGCs from that store anymore as MoneyGram had called them about me possibly doing "Money Laundering". (I had no problem giving my DL info for purchases above $2k. Seemed to make my life easier than asking the cashier to do multiple transactions). I found that interesting but just moved on to the next store. Now, I ask the cashier to do multiple transactions and try to steer clear of the customer service desk if possible.

diburning Jan 7, 2015 9:54 pm


Originally Posted by Alcibiades (Post 24118707)
Not when it is their own form

Then it's not a SAR.

diburning Jan 7, 2015 9:58 pm


Originally Posted by cdancer20 (Post 24120327)
I was told by a manager that I couldn't buy VGCs from that store anymore as MoneyGram had called them about me possibly doing "Money Laundering". (I had no problem giving my DL info for purchases above $2k. Seemed to make my life easier than asking the cashier to do multiple transactions). I found that interesting but just moved on to the next store. Now, I ask the cashier to do multiple transactions and try to steer clear of the customer service desk if possible.

That's a load of bull. As an agent at a location that uses MoneyGram, the first thing they teach you is that MoneyGram will NEVER call you for ANY reason. If there is a problem, the computer will interrupt the transaction, and then tell the agent to call MoneyGram. For security purposes, it does not even include the phone number on the screen to ensure that the agent calls the correct agent number in the manual.

msp2anywhere Jan 10, 2015 2:32 pm


Originally Posted by Andy2 (Post 24119404)
The actual SAR is an electronic transmission to Fincen...
It sounds like Walmart has its money centers gather the information and send it to headquarters...
Labeling the internal paper form a Suspicious Activity Report and having the customer complete it would seem to violate the spirit of the law, if not the actual letter of the law. I doubt that headquarters ever intended for the customer to even see it.

Or, they could use this as a not-so-subtle way to say, "you are on our radar, you're causing us some extra work...."

Remember, there are some shady characters out there- if you've been in line at WM enough times you've heard the stories- "gotta get the money to my girlfriend from (insert country here) who is being detained in US Customs..." "I won the lottery in Newfoundland, I just have to buy a Visa Gift Card and send the money by MoneyGram..."

Until there is some type of Pre-Check for Miles, we'll be lumped in with the grifters...

happy9zz Jan 14, 2015 3:52 pm

If I deposit a 20,000$ check (I write a wellfargo check to deposit at another bank), will it report as SAR?

Andy2 Jan 14, 2015 4:56 pm


Originally Posted by happy9zz (Post 24167965)
If I deposit a 20,000$ check (I write a wellfargo check to deposit at another bank), will it report as SAR?

It is not at all likely to generate a SAR. Transfers like this are commonplace, and a SAR is a Suspicious Activity Report.

Please make sure you understand the difference between a SAR and a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). A CTR is mandatory for cash deposits of $10,000 or more. A check is different than cash, and a check deposit does not cause a CTR to be filed, even if the check is $10,000 or more.

MasterCharge Feb 11, 2015 12:33 pm

fun facts
 
http://www.fincen.gov/news_room/rp/f...ution_SARs.xls

roki Feb 11, 2015 12:35 pm


Originally Posted by Andy2 (Post 24168327)
It is not at all likely to generate a SAR. Transfers like this are commonplace, and a SAR is a Suspicious Activity Report.

Please make sure you understand the difference between a SAR and a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). A CTR is mandatory for cash deposits of $10,000 or more. A check is different than cash, and a check deposit does not cause a CTR to be filed, even if the check is $10,000 or more.

To be clear, it's cash deposits of more than $10,000. So $10.000.01 or more.


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