A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Have u been blacklisted by your bank? |
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| jannah |
| 07/20/03 at 02:58:12 |
| ---fwd- ... If so... I would like to remind all of you of the great importance of coming forward if you or someone you know has been a victim of these discriminatory practices. CAIR-NY is currently in a campaign to rectify this very serious problem. CAIR can only be successful if the community takes action to help us. Please contact CAIR-NY if you have been affected by these practices ie: your bank account/credit card was cancelled without reason, you were requested to submit a large amount of proof of identification and/or were subject to excessive scrutiny. It is the obligation of everyone in the community to come together on this issue, including those who have been affected directly. We appreciate your help and coorperation and we look forward to hearing from you. Below you will find the text of the Action Alert CAIR-NY issued regarding the discriminatory policies of financial institutions, which is also accessible from our website: www.cair-ny.com American Companies Blacklisting Muslims Date: 07/01/2003 Details: American Companies Blacklisting Muslims Financial Institutions Closing Muslims’ Accounts Without Valid Reasons American financial institutions have been singling out Muslim Americans. Many Muslim Americans have been subject to unexplained and unwarranted account cancellations, and unreasonable requests by private financial institutions including American Express, HSBC, Fleet Bank, and Western Union. In most cases these institutions have requested large amounts of documentation without cause and regardless of credit history. Requests include tax information, banking information, financial statements, residency documentation, and/or identification documentation. In other cases no such requests were made, and in all cases reported accounts were subsequently cancelled. When Muhammad Ali of Brooklyn, New York tried to send a a80 via Western Union the blacklisting policy became clear. He received a phone call form Western Union’s corporate offices asking for identification and proof of his country of birth. The company refused to send or refund his money until the demands were met. Representatives from the aforementioned companies have made claims regarding the cancellations, citing random selection and reports from credit agencies, even when individuals had impeccable credit. A spokesperson for the American Banking Association explained the practice as standard procedure in the prevention and blocking money to terrorist and other illegitimate organizations. Banks and financial institutions check names against an eighty page list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Individuals, or SDN, provided by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. Many victims of account cancellations have similar names to those that appear on the list, and are thus negligently singled out. Institutions have also been known to use combinations of up to nine other unofficial lists for the same purposes, although these lists contain inaccuracies and were not intended for this purpose. Action Requested: 1. Contact CAIR-NY immediately if you have been subject to any unwarranted cancellations or requests by American Express, HSBC, Fleet Bank, Western Union, or any other financial institution. Report An Incident: Click Here 2. Look at the OFAC-SDN list . 3. Related Articles: Leave Home Without It by Hilary Russ Business Blacklists by Michael Scherer |
| Re: Have u been blacklisted by your bank? |
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| Kathy |
| 07/20/03 at 14:01:39 |
| [slm] After 22 years of car insurance with the same company, ours was cancelled last week. My hubby was in an accident which was 'forgiven' by the agent, back in March. Is it normal for insurance to be canceled after one accident? |
| Re: Have u been blacklisted by your bank? |
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| panjul |
| 07/21/03 at 10:35:01 |
| [slm] My bank account (wells fargo) was closed. i didn't ask any questions because at that time i wanted to yell. i walked out and never looked back at that ugly wells fargo building. now i have opened up an account with a different bank. |
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