I was just told that my driver’s license had to be scanned in order for CVS to sell me a money order. They said it is per order of the federal govt. This means that when the money order is cashed in, the federal govt. knows what I bought with it.
Is this a new facet of the Patriot Act? How much privacy are Americans going to have to give up?
How do they know what you bought? Wouldn’t they just know the total dollar amount?
Years ago, they never asked for ID, just the cash. Earlier in the decade, I used to get money orders from Safeway, 7-11, the US Postal Service, as well as a local check-cashing place (never cashed checks there, just got money orders). None of those places ever asked for ID for a money order. Earlier this year, I got a money order from my bank in order to pay court filing fees (no personal checks, no siree!), and they didn’t ask for ID specifically for that, though I do believe I had shown it earlier as part of a different transaction during the same visit, so perhaps they would have asked for ID if I had just walked in off the street and straightaway asked for a money order.
First of all, if its mandated by the federal government, it doesnt mean the federal government gets to look at it, or that big brother is interested in what youre buying, it just means they requre it be done.
In this case, I would guess its to protect your identity or something of that sort?
If I was told that and wasn’t all that happy about it, I’d try as an experiment purchasing a money order from somebody else (or maybe two somebody elses). If everyone else also required scanning your drivers license before they’d sell you a money order, then I’d think maybe what the CVS clerk said could be true. Otherwise, otherwise.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that the CVS clerk was merely repeating what was told to him/her by a manager, and that this was just an excuse that somebody made up because it was easier to say “the federal government mandates it and we at CVS have no choice but to comply” than “somebody in CVS management made it a policy and we lowly clerks have to follow it”.
(Personally I wouldn’t be concerned about having my driver’s license scanned, but I’m not you so that doesn’t matter.)
This appears to be a policy unique to CVS.
The IRS and/or Patriot Act require identification when purchasing $3,000.00 or more worth of money orders, so I don’t know why CVS is requiring ID for all money order purchases.
I don’t know if it’s related, but there have been some scams running on craigslist and eBay involving counterfeit CVS money orders. I don’t have any details, but if people are buying low-value MOs and then altering them to higher values, having to provide ID might be a deterrent. More likely, the crooks will then just go to the grocery store across the street.
To answer your question: No, it is not. You’re doing it willingly, so there’s no invasion.
Point 2: As posted above, it’s probably some clerk’s “appeal to cumbersome regulations” as a way to avoid further harassment from the customer on the subject. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been told about mythical “government regulations” that prevent a customer service rep on the phone from doing one thing or another. They’re either too lazy to do it (and are experienced enough to realize that claiming government intervention is the most hassle-free way to end the disagreement) or they are doing it pursuant to a corporate policy, where the corporate policy is to cite to the mythical regulation for the same reason.
Point 3: I highly doubt there are any new government regulations regarding money orders. Tracking a $50.00 money order under the guise of terrorism is an extremely inefficient procedure. Now, if you were getting a multi-thousand dollar MO, then the banking laws prior to that probably would’ve required some form of ID.
I believe it’s the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act, way before the USA Patriot Act even existed. The process in question is the “Monetary Instrument Log.”
I buy several money orders every single work day, either at the Post Office or at Safeway. I’ve never once been asked for any id other, just the cash. Mine vary from 200-500 dollars, no difference based on value.
I know nothing about money orders, but I do know that when we bought a new car with a personal check, the dealer said he had to have a credit report “as required by the terrorism act.” When asked to provide proof of such requirement, they eventually, begrudgingly accepted our check.
There may well be some requirement for money orders, but I wouldn’t put it past a retailer to try to obtain personal information for whatever reason through unwarranted reference to recent anti-terror/anti-privacy legislation. And I suspect the vast majority of consumers meekly comply… :rolleyes:
Why do people implicitly believe what retail clerks tell them?
Why on Earth would you buy a money order from CVS? They are free from your bank. (or at least they are if you bank at Chase, I’m just assuming other banks have similar policies)
There are a lot of regulations surrounding financial instruments that most folks are unaware of. There are also a lot of business interpretations for compliance. Some transactions require the financial institution, as it were to file a SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) and will be logged in FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), which is essentially a Treasury Department database.
Historically, money orders and their ilk have been widely abused for money laundering/financial structuring. When I had reasons to use FinCEN/similar (for legitimate law enforcement purposes), I was amazed at what was available. Casinos, banks, Western Union, Postal Money Orders, all kinds of shit.
Anecdotally, just the other day I was trying to send some money to a friend in need quickly. I was unable to do so because my cell phone isn’t registered to my mailing address, and they use a third party to validate. I was both frustrated and impressed by their security effort.
Once I made my own passport photo by combining 2 copies of a picture on a single 4x6 so they would print out at the correct size. The Walgreens clerk claimed I was violating federal law by making my own passport photos instead of paying them $8.99 to make them. They coughed up my pictures when I asked them for the statute number.
I bought an $800 money order from the post office last week and was not asked for any form of identification (I paid in cash).
I would never rely upon an interpretation of Federal law offered by a CVS clerk.
I go to Walgreen’s for that.
I had to show ID when I bought more than 3K worth of money orders at the post office. Otherwise I buy them all the time at Walmart, my bank, and this little stop n rob store down the street. Nobody ever asks for ID.
Both my banks want 99 cents for them. And $5 for a cashiers check. I have a good chunk of money in both banks and they insist I pay.
I think this is the answer. Sometime last year, my clinic started requiring photo ID when I checked in for appointments. I asked why and was told by the receptionist that it was federal law. When I got home I went online and could find no such thing. So I called the patient something-or-other at my HMO and was told there was indeed a federal law and the name of it was…something I forgot. But, at the time I looked it up and found it.
What the law actually requires is that, in this case, medical type places take steps to prevent identity theft. The HMO decided the way to do that was to require photo ID. So I complained to the HMO that they should explain that to their people.
Perhaps CVS has to adhere to this same law (I can’t rmeember if it was just medical type places the law applies to or not).
I am a very long time customer of First of America -> National City -> PNC. When I needed to get an official check, they provided the service for free for being a good customer. I had never gotten one before and they recognize that there are some things people will need official checks for and providing them as a service to their customers was worth more in loyalty than what they’d charge. But that was very definitely a one time thing; when I went to get another less than a year later they charged me for it.
Most banks have plans/accounts/packages that you can switch to for free checks if you don’t get that already. These aren’t always pay accounts, either.