Before we had EU-wide free instant money transfers that only worked within some banks. Two guys, who were at one such bank, decided to use it as an instant messenger. So they sent hundreds of messages while transferring just one Cent back and forth.

Until they got a message from a bank teller that they were equally amused by their jokes but should tone down the frequency because every money transfer cost the bank 11 Cents (don't remember the real number, but it was ridiculously high).

Once I sent a payment to a friend with a note like "drugs and guns" as a joke and it was delayed for like, two days.

Who tf is out there with zero opsec just using the banking system and straight up putting illegal stuff in the note field? So stupid.

Switch to tagging transactions as 'real estate fraud', 'financial instrument fraud', 'fake university', 'epstein party fund'

We don't prosecute these things.

Fun fact: back in the early 2010's Verizon Wireless started a new mobile payment option where you had the option to get an accompanying debit card for your account with the name of the app on it.

The mobile payment system name was ISIS.

Don't try such kind of jokes with security in the airport or with the police.

Have my friends make the note on all cashapp transactions to me say "Support for ICE" so the powers that be double what I receive. 😌

If you keep sending them the bank may give you the boot. They tend to fire customers who trigger too many investigations of this type.

Your bank invests your money in selling arms to other countries all the time. They're already complicit in all manner of things. They just don't want it spelt out.

Worked in retail banking for 7 years. Can tell you that the tellers are required to submit illegal activities to the investigation department. Not only this but things like elder abuse, child abuse, identify thief (happens too often with parents and their unwilling kids).

Ya, don't mess with banks. Because you might mess yourself up or someone you care about.

Bonus Story: I had someone come into the branch wanting me to try and change a line item that said something like blowjobs from a coworker that was paying him back for lunch. Dude was getting a divorce and that shit caused a ton of headache for him.

"Sam of Team Starling" sounds less like someone who works for a bank and more like a DC Comics sidekick 😄

I wonder what other topics could stir up a upwards message.

I would say ‘political bribe’ or ‘lobbying fund’ but I’m sure that should be hand waved through.

Eat the rich…..oops sorry I was send money for dinner, nah not sorry.

I have never thought about this as a vehicle for an dissent

Yeah. I'm sure that's what actual bad guys do. They label their crimes and plots clearly with bank transactions.

What a bunch of fucking idiots.

For real though, the only way to deal with pervasive surveillance is to give them too much noise to surveil.

So do people who get training from the taliban, mark there payments 'taliban training'?

I am glad someone reads those. When I was 15 and got my bank account, while making cash deposits I used to put "I use Arch-based distro, btw" into the "note" field.
It was Manjaro with Plasma. Now I use vanilla Arch.

I used to put thing like crack, heroin, coke & hoes; I wish I got an email like that from the bank.

Does not sound like they appreciate it