This week when returning to DFW from Chihuahua Mexico I was stopped by Customs and asked if I had ever lived in California. I had to think for a moment as I was born in California but grew up in Oklahoma and now live in Texas. So I told him no, just Oklahoma and Texas. He looked at my passport again and something on the screen and then let me go. I am a little puzzled why I was asked this question. I do have a very common first and last name, think Mary Smith. Does anyone know why they would ask me if I had lived in California?

A few years ago I was sent to the Tulsa Airport police department for a security/background check as the company I worked for was located on the airport. The police officer asked me if I had ever lived in Houston, the answer was no. He then asked me to stand up and asked me my height. I guess he couldn't read my driver's license he had in front of him. I told him I am 5'6". He told me it's a good thing you aren't 5'10", there are warrants out for a woman with your same name. As I was leaving I asked him what my namesake had done, she was wanted for assault, battery, passing forged checks, oh yippy skippy.

I guess I thought with all the electronic systems they have now that identities wouldn't be confused just because the name is the same.

"Wanted".

And the more electronic matching that happens, the more people are flagged .... because of the impoverished thinking that's the basis for queries.

WHY do they wait until you get to the airport to let you know you are on a "no fly" list. Why can't these things be cleared up when you book the ticket? If they know someone with a common name will have a problem they could ask right then for other pertinant distinguishing personal information that would confirm you are NOT that person. Pre-clearing such people would save a lot of innocent travelers from unwarranted harrassment.

There are advantages to a unique name.

Except when there is someone in your same city with your same unique name that has felony drug warrants

It's never given me trouble when travelling abroad, but last year I got pulled over for failure to use my turn signal (IN A TURN ONLY LANE!), and the officer proceeded to handcuff me while he ran my record. I was handcuffed maybe 15 minutes, but it was still rather humiliating.

Because if they did you would be on to them and not show up with your bomb, therefore not making headlines and capturing you would be impossible.

MissJoeyDFW,

I am on the same boat too !!! Every time I come from an international trip (about 2x/month), I am sent to a secondary INS guy to determine that I am not the 'wanted' guy for felony charges somewhere in Illinois and Kentucky. Unfortunately, They do not have a picture in their system to compare. They go by written description. Fortunately, I do not have any tattoos. You can fill out FOIA form to request more information. I have mine in process. Hopefully I will receive a response sometime soon....

cheers,

J

That's not a unique name. I've never seen evidence that there is anyone else anywhere with my name.

You don't know my name

wow i hope its because of that specific case that they don't have a photo. if they always have to use a written description ... wow

Just be glad the tattoo is not one where the sun don't generally shine.

My passport says my state of birth. If your passport says you were born in California and you claim you never lived there I would look at you funny too. Now granted people can be born places they don't live, but then it might be helpful to preface it by saying "Well i never technically lived there, but I was born there" instead of just saying no.

rufflesinc,

I was able to peek at their screens from far. The current technology does not support graphics/pictures. Yes, hard to believe, but it appears to be an old IBM system.

GUWonder,

RE: tattoos... I'm male and straight....

Cheers,

J

My husband has a very unique name... and had a similar situation! The local paper posts names of recently arrested people (felonies only) and his colleagues were giving him a hard time because he had missed work one Monday morning due to a delayed flight the night before. The next day his name was in the paper as being arrested on Sunday for drugs and guns charges. He called the police department to ask about the name, and the warrant division clerk asked him his age (he was about 3 years older than this other guy) and then the clerk says, "are you african-american?" Mr. Xine replied that "No, I'm pretty pasty white!" He was worried that someone had stolen his identity, but apparently this other guy has the exact same name. Freaky. Especially since we live in a pretty small community... and when you google the name there are only four unique individuals that show up TOTAL.

I suppose this experience would preclude wearing 4" stiletto heel shoes!

The reason they do not tell you that you are on the no fly list before arriving at the airport is because that would be doing you a service which is actually "for your convenience", rather than "for your convenience" to have nothing to do with your's but rather with theirs.

One of the posts suggested the value of having a unique name. Would Ben Laden meet your specification? But I understand from the 60 minutes story about the "no fly list" which aired about 6 months ago, that the name is not on the list anyway.