laptop confiscated or searched at US customs

[WoodPeckr]

... set it up the cops get excited because it means jail time. Is that true?

Yes it is true and happened recently in WNY with the Jesters a branch of the Shriners!

Judge Tills Pleads Guilty, Admits Coordinating Prostitutes with Jester National Representatives

The Shriners' Dirty Little Secret - Royal Order of Jesters (ROJ) Resource Updated

 

[Klute]

When I travel with female friends they tell me they try to find the customs line up with a white guy his late 30s t050s as they tend to simply want to chat up a pretty girl. They steer clear of cranky looking women or visible minorities as they may be trying harder to prove themselves.

Klute

 

[Mike_Hunt]

The Mann Act

My understanding is that "transporting a person across state lines for prostitution is literally a federal crime in US so if they get data that you are flying down to meet a client and they paid for it / set it up the cops get excited because it means jail time. Is that true?

It's called the Mann Act of 1910. "Whoever knowingly transports any individual in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States, with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both."

I don't recommend screwing around with border officials, Canadian or American. They can deny you entry and even exclude you without a reason.

You have very few rights at the border. Very few.

 

[roblestone]

Recent prostitution stings in Western NY involved Homeland Security agents. I am sure they work closely with customs.

 

[rabbitears]

It would take thousands of years for them to crack AES encryption, unless your password is weak.

 

[John Henry]

When I travel with female friends they tell me they try to find the customs line up with a white guy his late 30s t050s as they tend to simply want to chat up a pretty girl. They steer clear of cranky looking women or visible minorities as they may be trying harder to prove themselves.

Klute

I don't know how they can do that . Pretty hard to see inside the booths while waiting in a long line-up.
__________________________________________________________________________________

It all boils down to not bringing anything that you don't want them to see . What do you want to bring anyways . Are you keeping records of your clients ? Telephone numbers , names . You shouldn't be keeping that information in the first place . What if someone was to break into your residence or loose your laptop and finds that information .

Are you making sure that you have appointments ready for you for when you come back ?

What if they were to ask you where do you work ? They do that you know . If you don't have a job then you're not getting in . You can lie to them but then they'll ask you to prove it . How long do you plan on staying ? That's one of they're regular questions . You better be able to show that you have money to support yourself while you're there .

If you tell them your visiting a friend , they will ask you who that friend is . What's the phone number and check out your story against his . Both stories better jive or your not getting in . Crossing the border can be as easy as eating apple pie or it can be your worst nightmare .

Looks to me that your paranoid about crossing the border . Try and hide something and you will get caught just by the way your acting here .

Good luck

 

[John Henry]

It would take thousands of years for them to crack AES encryption, unless your password is weak.

They don't need that long . They will ask you to open it . If you don't then you'll be labeled a terrorist .

They don't Fu*k around .

 

[Aardvark154]

Recent prostitution stings in Western NY involved Homeland Security agents. I am sure they work closely with customs.

It depends upon what type of Homeland Security agents you refer to, but the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (the old U.S. Customs Service mixed in with part of the former INS) is part of the Department of Homeland Security an other Bureau is Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which may be the agency to which you refer.

 

[lenny2]

I don't know how they can do that . Pretty hard to see inside the booths while waiting in a long line-up.

At Vancouver airport the inside of the booths are clearly visible from far away.

I don't recommend screwing around with border officials, Canadian or American. They can deny you entry and even exclude you without a reason.

Deny me entry to my own country? I don't think so.

When I travel with female friends they tell me they try to find the customs line up with a white guy his late 30s t050s as they tend to simply want to chat up a pretty girl. They steer clear of cranky looking women or visible minorities as they may be trying harder to prove themselves.

I look for the booth with a man rather than a female. IME a guy gives me better odds of not being interogated. And i feel free to tell him i've been travelling to gogos, MP's & fishbowls.

 

[Aardvark154]

It's called the Mann Act of 1910. "Whoever knowingly transports any individual in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States, with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both."

I don't recommend screwing around with border officials, Canadian or American. They can deny you entry and even exclude you without a reason.

You have very few rights at the border. Very few.

18 USC §§ 2321-2424

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2421
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2422
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2423
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2424

 

[Aardvark154]

Deny me entry to my own country? I don't think so.

They have to admit you. However, they don't have to let you walk out the door that leads to the sidewalk. So long as the period of detention is reasonable (and reasonable can be days if they can convince a judge - such as you refuse to unlock a computer program) the border is sort of a legal limbo.

 

[mrsCALoki]

I

If you tell them your visiting a friend , they will ask you who that friend is . What's the phone number and check out your story against his . Both stories better jive or your not getting in . Crossing the border can be as easy as eating apple pie or it can be your worst nightmare .

On a trip to Los Vegas Going through customs they asked me "Why are you going to Las Vegas" I said "To get married". My wise ass future spouse says "For a week of incredible sex with a sexy British tart". Next thing we know they are grilling us and going through our lap tops. looking at emails etc. And thank god wedding invitations were on there. Explaining why we were not taking the same route etc was bad enough.

Never ever joke with them.

 

[mrsCALoki]

They have to admit you. However, they don't have to let you walk out the door that leads to the sidewalk. So long as the period of detention is reasonable (and reasonable can be days if they can convince a judge - such as you refuse to unlock a computer program) the border is sort of a legal limbo.

And the door can lead to a holding cell .

 

[FatOne]

If you are going down the 401 and decide to go through New York say between the 1000 islands bridge east of Kingston to the Seaway bridge at Cornhole, and then come back, it tend to freak the border people at the Canadian side a bit.

They can't seem to grasp the concept of road trip, taking the scenic route or cheap gas. I've never been searched because of it, but it does confuse them.


The less ammo you can give them, the better. I was going to take the NY route [its nice] my last road trip, I left the lap top at home. Just not worth it.

 

[lenny2]

They have to admit you. However, they don't have to let you walk out the door that leads to the sidewalk. So long as the period of detention is reasonable (and reasonable can be days if they can convince a judge - such as you refuse to unlock a computer program) the border is sort of a legal limbo.

That would be a reason. The comment i responded to said they could deny me entry without a reason.

IME i've been held & interogated for hours. They weren't going to let me go unless a] i let them photocopy some papers or b] i waited while they read them. I had the choice, so opted for door number one.

 

[Coors]

At Vancouver airport the inside of the booths are clearly visible from far away.

.

Yes but the it is all luck of the draw once you enter the maze. Looks suspicious if you don't go to the next available officer, once you are at the front of the line.

Completely off topic, I have used the new automated machines in Montreal when returning from overseas. Pretty effecient for a low risk traveller.

 

[lenny2]

Yes but the it is all luck of the draw once you enter the maze. Looks suspicious if you don't go to the next available officer, once you are at the front of the line.

IME you have a choice of several different "lines" to get in, leading to certain booths. Each lineup has two booths. If you want to avoid female immigration officers, you get in the lineup with fewer or no female officers. There is nothing suspicious about this. Although once at the front of the specific line you choose, it could look suspicious if you tried to avoid the next available officer out of the two possibilities.

Completely off topic, I have used the new automated machines in Montreal when returning from overseas. Pretty effecient for a low risk traveller.

I think they have this in Vancouver, too, but never tried it. How does the machine decide who gets interogated? Random choice? IME i've been sent for "interogation" at least 50% of the time.

 

[msog87]

so, whenever i travel i am entirely paranoid about the US customs people possibly searching my data. someone once put this idea in my head that they can, and they do, im curious if anyone has ever had this happen to them or heard of it happening to someone they know.

i imagine i will still clean things up when traveling, but i wonder if i am being a little too paranoid?

a buddy of mine who was flagged by homeland security due to many repeated "suspicious" crossings has his laptop checked everytime if they choose to let him in he's currently dealing with a lawyer to fix the problem

 

[Aardvark154]

If you are going down the 401 and decide to go through New York say between the 1000 islands bridge east of Kingston to the Seaway bridge at Cornhole, and then come back, it tend to freak the border people at the Canadian side a bit.

It freaks them on both sides of the border.

Same thing lets say you live in Toronto, have been in Montreal and are now going to New York City and you take the scenic route and cross at say Noyan, Québec -Alburgh, Vermont or St-Armand/Phillipsburg, Québec - Highgate Springs, Vermont. Expect all sorts of questions as to why you are taking such a convoluted path, even if everything is on the up and up.

 

[Hangman]

US officials have access to CPIC. Police put all KINDS of shit on CPIC inclosing intelligence. So if they suspect you are an escort it will be on CPIC. Also they put "aliases" up there. So if they received any report or intelligence that you are Miss Maya Blue they will have that alias on CPIC. That is why US customs searches lap tops because of teh shit pigs put on your CPIC. CPIC is abused like crazy and a cop who hates you can destroy your life with no consequence

Well, this is basically completely wrong.