Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Innocent Customers Caught in Terrorist Dragnet

Companies refuse business to partial name matches on OFAC's list

By Heather McPherson,  Newser User

Posted Mar 27, 2007 1:57 PM CDT

(Newser) – Hassans, Muhammeds, and other men with Arabic-sounding names  are being turned away when they try to buy cars, homes, and even exercise equipment. Responding to post-9/11 requirements to screen customers against terrorist lists, companies are turning down buyers with even partial name matches rather than risk stiff fines and prison time.

A report released today documents at least a dozen cases of such mistaken identity. Tom Kubbany, whose middle name is Hassan, was denied a mortgage when a credit report claimed that "Hassan" was an alias for one of Saddam Hussein's children. Never mind that he's 30 years older than Hussein's offspring. Now, Kubbany says, "There's a dark cloud over us."

DSC01772
DSC01772   ((c) Karen Eliot)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Activists, Washington Cross Swords over Terror List

Ballooning Terror Database Spawns Errors

Man With Suspicious Bag Detained in Pentagon Scare

Rapper Lupe Fiasco: Obama's the Real Terrorist

2 Iraqis Living in Kentucky Charged With Terror Plotting


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne