Michael Cardenas wrote: > But what if this data is used as part of a larger picture, such as in > TIA. It definitely can be used, along with gas purchases, to track > where a suspect, aka a citizen, is living. Also, many possible > weapons such as perscription drugs, box cutters, and kitchen knives > can be purchased at a grocery store, which combined with case data > could be useful in framing, aka finding, the suspect.
Slightly different subject - One item I can confirm they do geological area purchase profiling is with credit cards. These are of course tightly linked with real identity. One day I was traveling outside my home city and had taken out a large amount of cash before my trip and paid with cash for all purchases in between my home city and the destination. Well, I ran out of cash faster than expected and was unfamiliar with where to find a bank for more. In need of gasoline I purchased with my credit card. Well, upon checking my voicemail I discover a call from the credit issuer who had detected "possible fraudulent activity" and would automatically deactivate my account unless I call back to confirm within 24 hours. Not only that, but the voice was pre-recorded making me suspect the entire system is automated. A consumer friendly application in my case, but it certainly confirms the quoted speculation (though not loyalty card). -><-
