Canada Warns Its U.S. Visiting Citizens: Beware Of The Shakedown By The Men With A Badge
The Canadian government, just like any alert national administration, regularly issues advisories to its citizens traveling to foreign countries. Interestingly, its advisory for people who wish to travel to the United States of America has a specific clause about financial management.
On its official website, the Canadian government informs its citizens that “there is no limit to the amount of money that you may legally take into or out of the United States.” However, it cautions that banking in the U.S. can be difficult for non-residents, so Canadians shouldn’t carry large amounts of cash.
Though the last bit is pretty inconspicuous, the clause is there for an entirely different reason than the one Ottawa cites. There’s a shakedown currently going on in the U.S. and the perpetrators are not street-thugs, though they do roam the alleys, by-lanes, and highways. The men conducting the shakedown are the ones who are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the people.
Yes, across America, law enforcement officers — from federal agents to state troopers and right down to sheriffs in one-street backwaters — are operating a vast, coordinated scheme to grab as much of the public’s cash as they can, reported CBC News. As per an officer’s words, the police themselves are grabbing money “hand over fist.”
How is the shakedown orchestrated? It usually starts on the road somewhere, preferably in the middle of nowhere or on a busy highway. An officer pulls you over for some minor infraction — changing lanes without proper signaling, following the car ahead too closely, straddling lanes. As you will later learn, the offense is completely irrelevant and the intention is to engage you.
After pulling you over, the police officer wants to chat. He begins by asking questions about where you’re going, or where you came from, and why. He’ll peer into your car while nonchalantly talking with you, and then perhaps ask permission to search it, citing the need for vigilance against terrorist weaponry or drugs.
But what he is really looking for is money or signs that you are carrying a significant amount of dough.
Like most motorists, if you are gullible or foolish enough to have consented to the search, and you’re carrying any significant amount of cash, you are now more than likely to lose it.
Upon chancing upon the cash, the officer will demand that the same be handed over and confirms, with an official looking waiver, which says that the whole “matter” will simply disappear if you hand over the money.
In case you refuse to sign it, he may take away the cash anyway, on the pretext that the money is the result of illegal drug trade or some such crime. Of course, you have the right to an attorney and an official route to reclaim your money, but that would entail substantial lawyer’s fees and legally documenting exactly where the money came from. You will also need to prove you are not a drug dealer or a terrorist. It might take a year or two. And several trips back to the jurisdiction where you were pulled over.
The American dream has always been fulfilled by working hard and earning harder, but perhaps the men in blue and brown have discovered a lot easier technique; shakedown gullible and innocent foreign travelers, who won’t come back seeking return of their money.
[Image Credit | Expert Beacon, Auto Blog]
