Breaking News: FBI Raids Middle Eastern Owned Service Stations

TV 8 News has learned the FBI and local law enforcement authorities are conducting a statewide raid of service stations and businesses owned by Middle Easterners. Agents executed search warrants today at businesses from Tallulah to Ruston and in Monroe. The FBI says the raids are part of "an ongoing criminal investigation." Police sources tell TV 8 News the raids target possible money laundering and counterfeiting in connection with suspected domestic terrorist activity and homeland security. TV 8 News will have details at 5, 6,and 10.

linkage

Well well well...... More as it developes!

Originally posted by CogitoErgoSum1

TV 8 News has learned the FBI and local law enforcement authorities are conducting a statewide raid of service stations and businesses owned by Middle Easterners. Agents executed search warrants today at businesses from Tallulah to Ruston and in Monroe. The FBI says the raids are part of "an ongoing criminal investigation." Police sources tell TV 8 News the raids target possible money laundering and counterfeiting in connection with suspected domestic terrorist activity and homeland security. TV 8 News will have details at 5, 6,and 10.

linkage

Well well well...... More as it developes!

Link wouldnt work, getting connection refused. what state is this in?
Is this connected to the 3 arrested in Toledo, Ohio earlier this week?


[edit on 22-2-2006 by Striker8441]

Louisiana, and I don't know why the link isnt working right now.

Too many people trying to hit it maybe?
Usually you get a timeout instead of the error I received.
I will check back tomorrow when I come into work.
I try to stay off the pc's when I am home, wife kinda likes my attention and not my nose buried in my laptop. go figure

yea I know playing while at work, hey, I am a sysadmin/pc tech and right now things are going good LOL

HOLY POO BATMAN...

I am now officially freaked... anyone know how to contact an FBI guy that wont think I am nuts?

... I have noticed that EVERY arab owned/ran conveinance store that I used (ONCE) doesn't blank the credit card number on my reciepts...
everyplace else that i have been blocks those out, to prevent someone from trying to use your cc# if they find a reciept right?

I finally found a station ran by a jordanian, who I got to know, and felt (past tense) I could trust... He also didn't block out the credit card numbers on receipts, but claimed he didn't know how to set the credit card machine to block those... He "assured me" that he would never do anything like let someone see my reciepts...

This is starting to look like an international plot...

Ive never noticed that, but maybe its because my hometowns immigrant population is predominately hispanic. They run a lot of service stations, all the reciepts have my debit card number blacked out. Maybe it is an international plot, but I dunno, it could be a lot of different people doing it on their own, or maybe nothing at all. We'll see I guess.

Oh and Lazarus, I would contact your credit card company about that, they should know the laws concerning this and would be able to tell you if this is sketchy or not.

[edit on 2/22/2006 by ludaChris]

Are you talking about at the point where it should say the number it says XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-1234 instead?

Is that up to the individual station's staff to determine that or is that coming from the corporation itself? Good catch...

One of our coworkers husband is a cop in Osceola county. We talked with him this morning and he said not to use your credit cards or debit cards right now in Osceola county (gas pumps or atm's). They have 90 confirmed cases thus far of accounts being completely drained of funds. He said they're using devices at the machines that look exactly like the real machines and are able to take your account info to drain your accts. At this point, it's isolated to Osceola county. So, when pulling money go inside the bank and when buying gas pay inside. He said paying cash for gas right now is the best policy.

I received this email this morning from my mother in law and didn't think much until I saw these busts. 90 cases is quite a few. it will be interesting to see if there are more investigations coming to a close in the next few days.

Funny because here where I am in the south the gas stations are either run by Pakistanis or Indians.

They are always targeted by thieves.

So I have not heard anything at all.

Originally posted by esdad71One of our coworkers husband

Has far too much the ring of urban legend and rumour. Also, fake machines? Seems unlikely. If they want the number, then they don't need this. Not to mention that people'd notice when they check their balances. I've known people who did stuff like this, it didn't require fake machines, and they were quickly caught.

Yes fake machines or slots or hidden cameras has happened in UK too recently, made the news and papers, so fake machines are possible and where you put the card in the slot can be replaces over by a fake one that records yer pin numbers that was 1 of the problems here in UK from gangs or something doing that, it would then tranmit to a near by laptop i think they sat in cars or left em in cars and picked up later or something.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by blobby]

I am an amateur radio "nerd" and therefor associate with many individuals who are as well.

At gas stations that are owned/staffed by persons who appear to be Middle Eastern, in Groton, Holden, Townsend, and Worcester, Massachusetts, myself and/or fellow hams have discovered wireless microphones installed within the last two years. We found them completely by accident by tracking down sources of unusual signals that were interfering with our radio equipment. Some of the transmitters are incredibly high-powered and/or are equipped with directional yagi/beam antennas, suggesting that the sounds are transmitted somewhere for monitoring or recording purposes. We have our suspicions about one station in Holden and one in Worcester, believing that both are transmitting the sound to the same place.

Yes it has obviously occurred to us that it could be remote monitoring systems for burglar alarms. But alarm mics do not transmit 24/7, do not use the frequencies we have found these mics on, and in the case of two of the stations, the alarm companies they use do not provide remote audio services.

That's about all I want to say on the subject because I have no idea where this is going. We did notify some local law enforcement personnel who are personal friends of ours, and in one confirmed case so far, there is indeed much more to the story than I feel comfortable saying here.

therainmaker,

I'm not quite sure what your point is exactly? Perhaps these radio signals are used to recieve Middle Eastern radio signals as many Indians do for particular Indian programs.

Luxifero

Originally posted by Luxifero
therainmaker,

I'm not quite sure what your point is exactly? Perhaps these radio signals are used to recieve Middle Eastern radio signals as many Indians do for particular Indian programs.

Transmitters will emanate strong signals; I don't know how a receiver would. But therainmaker would know better than I would.

therainmaker, have you heard of any incidents in southern NH?

Originally posted by therainmaker
I am an amateur radio "nerd" and therefor associate with many individuals who are as well.

At gas stations that are owned/staffed by persons who appear to be Middle Eastern, in Groton, Holden, Townsend, and Worcester, Massachusetts, myself and/or fellow hams have discovered wireless microphones installed within the last two years. We found them completely by accident by tracking down sources of unusual signals that were interfering with our radio equipment. Some of the transmitters are incredibly high-powered and/or are equipped with directional yagi/beam antennas, suggesting that the sounds are transmitted somewhere for monitoring or recording purposes. We have our suspicions about one station in Holden and one in Worcester, believing that both are transmitting the sound to the same place.

Yes it has obviously occurred to us that it could be remote monitoring systems for burglar alarms. But alarm mics do not transmit 24/7, do not use the frequencies we have found these mics on, and in the case of two of the stations, the alarm companies they use do not provide remote audio services.

That's about all I want to say on the subject because I have no idea where this is going. We did notify some local law enforcement personnel who are personal friends of ours, and in one confirmed case so far, there is indeed much more to the story than I feel comfortable saying here.

When a "PIN" code is entered using one of the pumps, does each digit entered result in a different audiable "tone", verifying that the digit has been entered?

Coupled with the licsense plate # and info recorded by the pump's card reader (readily avaible to the record-keeping software), it would be possible for station personnel to "reconstruct" a customer's secret access code by deciphering the tone pattern. They would thus gain access to the customer's bank account information and funds.

To answer the questions posed:

1) I am not talking about broadcast transmitters. These are purposefully-installed, audio surveillance type mics based on the frequencies they are on. I have yet to confirm that anybody has seen one of the mics. One anomaly so far is that one station that has no lottery machines or wireless burglar alarm does have a yagi antenna on the roof, whose elements would match the length ideally suited for the frequency of the microphone.

2) Good idea on the PIN pad!!! However one station is strictly full-serve. I don't know about the others for sure.

3) To the person in southern NH-- I am somewhat familiar with the investigation you are thinking of. I have no reason to believe the gas stations in Groton and Townsend are related to that, however. My contact in that area is involved in both the law enforcement and military and I know that he has a role in that investigation, but he has never mentioned the two things in conjunction with one another.

4) My point is that the way the known factors add up point in the glaring direction of only one possibility-- that some agency is conducting surveillance on these gas stations. It may be video as well, I don't know. Like I said we stumbled upon this completely by accident when foxhunting for sources of interference on the amateur radio bands. I have not bothered to check every conceivable frequency out there, so video is a possibility as well.

This is not urban legend, it is a fact. I am speaking of the Orlando/Kissimmee area in Florida. The head of the sheriffs depatment was at my wedding, i was just thought it strange I got it the same day this stuff broke. I wouldn't post garbage. There are many cases in resturants that you do not hear about with 'swipers' to steal your info.

This also occured after 9/11, because in florida it was found many gas stations were collecting money for 'needy children'; yet was going towards Islamic jihad movements, many linked back to Palestine. Some info tied to this can be found in the Al-arian case that is still pending.

This is not hte first bust since 9/11 of a arab store used as a front for laundering.

You guys are being paranoid. Do you know how easy it is to steal a credit card #? You dont need to be equipped like an international spy. I work two service industry related jobs and in both I could steal literally dozens of credit cards if I wanted to. The ease wouldnt warrant the use of high-tech equipment.

I wouldn't call it paranoia...
If you check the link, they have already expanded the sting to other states...
New york as of now...

I would call it alertness... The Ham guy has a good point (albeit one he should have kept to himself) that surveillance is ongoing on some, and perhaps most muslim owned gas stations...

Is it crazy to think that this conveinance "industry" has drawn specific overseas investment, due to the laundering possibilites...

and as far as the "easy to get credit card numbers" yup... but not without people suspecting...
the card numbers in circulation are quick to be cancelled, and found out... a whole new fresh batch of "virgin card thefts" would be a cash cow to any group...

Oh... and BTW... not to freak you all out...
I stopped by my local gas station last night, and started up a conversation with the forlorn looking employee (the one from Morroco)
he was sad...
He had to find a new job...
BECAUSE THE OWNER DECIDED TO SELL THE BUSINESS WITHIN THE WEEK...



[edit on 23-2-2006 by LazarusTheLong]

This seems to be a followup link to the story.
www.knoe.com...

It would be so easy to do. In my area, 90% or more stations are run by Middle Eastern types. Party stores too.

But how widespread is it? I don't think we should start to be paranoid or panic.
Becasue that is just what the government wants you to do: be afraid, be terrorized.