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waltgomez · Joined: 03 Jul 2014 Posts: 105

I am on a consultant's visa in the KSA and sent my money through BFC in Bahrain.

After some days, I checked my account in the USA and it was not there. Then BFC contacted me in Saudi by phone and email and told me that there was an email from Chase.

Apparently, they froze my transfer because there was a " sanction program" and they were checking things out.

They needed to know my birth date, my address, who I was, blah, blah.

I guess it had something to do with Iran.

I complied and sent them my DL scan from the USA, my passport scan, gave them my address in Saudi and my address in Bahrain- the hotel I was staying at. I also gave them my phone number.

Took more then a week for them to unfreeze the transfer, and finally it got there.

During the entire PITA ordeal, BFC was always following up on things, sending me emails and calming me down. They were telling me that this was a daily occurrence at BFC.

This guys were really good and professional.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Was this your first transfer from the Gulf into this account? I always made sure that my bank back in the US had all the appropriate information before I sent any transfers. I would hope that any further transfers will now go through with no more issues.

For years there was a dollar limit before questions were asked, but that may have changed. For years it was $10K, so I always transferred $9K.

VS

sheikhitnow · Joined: 29 Dec 2017 Posts: 32

I've been with Chase since 1994 and was employed full-time at five or six different employers in the Gulf ME from '92 to 2015. I never had any problems sending money to my Stateside Chase account. I do remember very well how in Dubai, all the way up to 2002, I had to physically go down to this Indian-run bank every month and stand in line to send my salary home. Then in '02 when I got the job at the Petro. Institute in Abu Dhabi I could finally do it all online. I keep hearing these stories about obstacles to sending money back home and am puzzled. Of course, the OP is not on a regular work visa. I always maintained a US address of some kind even though I didn't live there--that satisfied my bank. I seldom had to send as much as $10K at a time, though. One time going on a US home-buying vacation from Saudi, in 1994, I carried about $60,000 in cash and didn't report it. I know, shame on me. But it had gone through the US tax system, so I really didn't care as long as I wasn't caught.

hash · Joined: 17 Dec 2014 Posts: 456 Location: Wadi Jinn

HASH: Decided to delete my posting because it was too technical and confusing and not directly related to the OP's posting.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The OP's tale seems to me isa further reason not to come on a business visa or any other document that says "EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED"

waltgomez · Joined: 03 Jul 2014 Posts: 105

This was coming from the US side, and not the Saudi side and Chase did not ask for the Saudi visa scan.

They apparently wanted to know who I was and my address because of a " sanction program".

I checked on their website and apparently, there is some sanction going on with Iran thus maybe they were trying to make sure this was not Iran-related money.

Anyway, they released it, and all was well.

Just letting people know that these things are happening, and not to be alarmed if they do.

This was the purpose of my post. Nothing else.

As far as other posters saying " I never had any problem" does not mean that the poster or any other person may not have a problem in the future. I also never had any problem with Chase until now.

Random events like these can happen to anybody at any time regardless of never having happened before.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Walt

Think this one through

Why did u have to go to Bahrain to remit ?

revilo · Joined: 05 Oct 2013 Posts: 181 Location: Mos Eisley

You gotta love a company whose sole reason is to be a middleman between Saudi banks and American banks. You have to pay them to transfer your money after paying Saudis. The motto at JP Morgan is: F$%K you, pay me now.

I have a Canadian bank account that goes direct from Saudi to Canada. Trouble is, it doesn't pay interest and I gotta file FATCA forms on it.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Banks are moneychangers They are not charitable institutions. their raison d'etre is to make money from dealing in money.

sheikhitnow · Joined: 29 Dec 2017 Posts: 32

It's true. I pay a service fee for both incoming and outgoing wire transfers. Services are not free in the financial sector. It's better than paying Western Union fees. However, I can transfer up to $2000 a day for free to a merchant or person using the bank's credit card via a quick-pay function without having to open the card's account page. Then, of course, I pay off that card immediately by transferring money from the checking account. I wanted to send someone $5000 once with this service, but when I found out it was limited to $2k per day, I simply mailed them a cheque.

eslteacher2014 · Joined: 08 May 2014 Posts: 66

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

eslteacher2014 · Joined: 08 May 2014 Posts: 66

waltgomez · Joined: 03 Jul 2014 Posts: 105

waltgomez · Joined: 03 Jul 2014 Posts: 105