Q:
I’m headed to Las Vegas in June. Taking lots of cash and traveler’s checks has always made me nervous, especially going through security at O’Hare and McCarron’s airports. Here’s my question: Is there a standard practice that security check-in uses at airports for people who want to hold on to their cash and traveler’s checks? I don’t want to be physically separated from my money but also don’t want to be considered a security risk/cash-smuggling criminal by tucking away the money on my person when going through security checkpoints. Thanks for your help and keep up the excellent QoD work!
A:
Firstly, thanks, and you’re welcome!
As to your question, if you’re traveling domestically, there is no limit on the amount of cash or equivalents (travelers checks, money orders, bearer bonds, etc.) that you are permitted to carry, nor are you obliged to declare it. (International flights are a different matter, where you are legally required to declare any sum over $10,000 that you’re traveling with.)
According to the Transportation Security Administration’s mission statement, its role is to "protect the Nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce." TSA Officers (TSOs) are not law enforcement and, in a 2009 policy adjustment, the Administration stated that "screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security" and that "traveling with large amounts of currency is not illegal." Hence, in theory, you should be at liberty to carry as much money as you like on your person, or in your carry-on, and it’s the TSA’s job to protect you and it, which logically would mean not separating one from the other.
On the other hand, as the TSA’s Chief Counsel explained in an entry on the Administration’s official blog, which seems to contradict the 2009 policy adjustment quoted above:
"Sometimes a TSA officer may ask a passenger who is carrying a large sum of cash to account for the money.
"In reacting to potential security problems or signs of criminal activity, TSA officers are trained to ask questions and assess passenger reactions, including whether a passenger appears to be cooperative and forthcoming in responding.
"TSA officers routinely come across evidence of criminal activity at the airport checkpoint. Examples include evidence of illegal drug trafficking, money laundering, and violations of currency reporting requirements prior to international trips.
"When presented with a passenger carrying a large sum of money through the screening checkpoint, the TSA officer will frequently engage in dialog with the passenger to determine whether a referral to law-enforcement authorities is warranted.
"The TSA officer may consider all circumstances in making the assessment, including the behavior and credibility of the passenger. Thus, a failure to be forthcoming may inform a TSA officer’s decision to call law-enforcement authorities."
In other words, if your cash is spotted, an agent may draw unwanted attention to this fact, and we know of numerous instances of legitimate professional gamblers, with documented evidence of their bankroll and winnings, being questioned at length and, on occasion, having their cash confiscated.
So, here are some suggestions:
•When you’re traveling to Las Vegas, have a cashier’s check made out to yourself that you may then cash at a local branch of your bank when you arrive. If you win big, or at least cash out a large amount, have the casino make out a check for your winnings, which you can cash or deposit when you return home. Note that the casino will only do this if your winnings don’t leave their sight and can be verified, so if you hit a $5,000 hand-pay slot jackpot, for example, ensure that the winning amount remains visible to casino staff until you receive your check.
•While lots of gamblers conceal their cash about their person, strapping it to your leg or stuffing it in your underwear is not advisable, since it makes it appear as though you’re attempting to hide it from the authorities, which will sound alarm bells. Keep it safely on your person, or in your carry-on bag (cash doesn’t show up on the screening monitor* and if the decision is made to search it, this will happen directly in front of you, in plain sight.
•Carrying evidence with you that helps verify that you’re not a drug smuggler, terrorist, or money launderer, for example a copy of your tax return, paperwork from your most-frequented casino(s) and your host’s business card, gambling-strategy books, etc., is also a good idea and will help to support your case, should the worst happen and your cash gets seized.
*Note that while cash isn’t detected by the regular carry-on screening devices, the Sentinel II "contraband-detection portal" (walk-through sniffing device) detects even trace amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, PCP, THC, and ecstasy and, since up to 75 percent of all cash in Las Vegas is said to be contaminated with one or more of these substances, if the money is on your person and it gets detected by a Sentinel II, that could easily give the TSOs reason to suspect that these are ill-gotten gains, so you may be better off stashing the cash in your carry-on, just in case.
from www.lasvegasadvisor.com
Replies:
Posted by: Pointman on June 20, 2013, 10:43 pm
UPDATE: 06-20-2013 Thanks to all the readers who wrote in with advice and personal experiences. Here’s some of that feedback:
•"We go through O’Hare and McCarran airports on our trips to Las Vegas. We have always been allowed to physically hang on to our cash. Purse, wallet, money clips have to go in the bins for x-ray, but we’ve always been able to hold the cash in our hands: folded in half, with the thumb holding the cash against the palm, and fingers straight. (Much like holding up 4 fingers, with your cash tucked between your palm and your thumb)." [Ed]
•"Re TSA search ‘policy’: At Houston Intercontinental, everyone MUST empty their pockets and put their wallets and all valuables on the belt; in Houston Hobby, one’s wallet is subject to search, credit card by credit card, whereas in Kansas City, I was thanked for my military service and told to hang on to my ‘stuff’. In Syracuse, my associates and I were given a thorough screening while several teenagers were allowed to pass with a simple walk through the arch. I could go on… In short there is no uniform TSA policy, other than whatever it takes to make one miserable. I do appreciate your check suggestion, however, since on occasion I’ve been separated from my valuables by total strangers (the credit card incident was in response to my complaint about same)."
•"Tell the dude worried about his money to lock it in his carry-on bag. Do not put it through the luggage scanner until he is able to immediately move through the body scanner. It helps to be traveling with someone else that can go through the scanner first and wait for the bag.
"FWIW, I had a very dramatic experience in Philadelphia several years ago, during which I averted being ripped off by screaming bloody murder (loudly demanding the presence of a supervisor) while agents were rifling through my stuff and threatening to arrest me if I did not shut-up. One week later, several TSA agents on that line in Philly were busted and later convicted of felony theft. If TSA agents want to look in your bag after it is scanned, you will need to unlock it for them and they have to inspect it right in front of you."
•"Save all the trouble and just get a line of credit. Ask Max Rubin (Comp City) — your comps go up too."
