Because someone is telling me to withdraw my money from the account and not even think about using my card cos I will be surcharged heavily...
So help is needed on what the ideal think to do

Astaclover9:
Because someone is telling me to withdraw my money from the account and not even think about using my card cos I will be surcharged heavily...
So help is needed on what the ideal think to do

What is "heavily"? Well, I do use my GTB Dollar card attached to my Domiciliary Account with them, the charge is about $3 per ATM withdrawal transaction, and I was able to withdraw $500 from ATM transaction like that even though my host told me it was impossible for me to get that much in a single ATM transaction. I was taking only $200 per transaction previously, the little Igbo man in me wasn't satisfied nor happy about the restriction and I had to just try a higher figure withdrawal, and it worked!

Astaclover9:
Can I use my dom account access bank credit card in the states specifically Alabama and hope I wouldn't be surcharged heavily or surcharged at all... Intend to use it at the atm when I open an account and deposit the money in there into my account

GTB charge N1200 per withdrawal.

OmoBendel24:


What is "heavily"? Well, I do use my GTB Dollar card attached to my Domiciliary Account with them, the charge is about $3 per ATM withdrawal transaction, and I was able to withdraw $500 from ATM transaction like that even though my host told me it was impossible for me to get that much in a single ATM transaction. I was taking only $200 per transaction previously, the little Igbo man in me wasn't satisfied nor happy about the restriction and I had to just try a higher figure withdrawal, and it worked!

My chairman.

seyewest:


My chairman.

Boss! Regards oh

A big shout out to mr seye for helping me out during my journey, especially considering the fact that I had never spoken/chatted him before as regards my travel plans. He helped with the cancellation of a connecting flight that got delayed and assisted with booking another connecting flight as well as a hotel urgently to spend the night. He was in contact all throughout my journey while not knowing me from Adam. You made my journey very smooth and came through for a brother. God bless you real good boss.

funbeazy:
A big shout out to mr seye for helping me out during my journey, especially considering the fact that I had never spoken/chatted him before as regards my travel plans. He helped with the cancellation of a connecting flight that got delayed and assisted with booking another connecting flight as well as a hotel urgently to spend the night. He was in contact all throughout my journey while not knowing me from Adam. You made my journey very smooth and came through for a brother. God bless you real good boss.

Nice.
Please let's read your PoE transcript.
Shukra

Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Well I was totally unprepared, first time visiting the US. I flew from Lagos via Istanbul to JFK and landed midday'ish, travelling solo.
After a long queue, I get to the CBP officer to whom I hand my passport.

CBP Officer: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Tourism.
CBP Officer: Tooooouriiiiiism. (He says that prolonging the name as if I have made a mistake in my pronunciation). He finger prints me and stamps a date on the passport (six months).

By this time the little light indicators on his station had turned from green to red, and another officer standing nearby came and picked my passport and I was ushered in secondary.

Inside I saw many people especially asians and I was asked to take a seat. Across the room was a counter with CBP officers grilling at travellers. One guy was been asked to state the exact time he had spend in his previous visit to which he wasn't sure whether it was 2 years or 18 months.

Another lady was denied entry but permitted to make a phone call whilst an asian guy seated close to me had his phone taken and placed inside a folder together with his passport because he was using it. I quickly switched off my phone. (discreetly as I usually receive numerous calls)

Later on a lady without CBP uniform but with a badge around her neck came and picked my passport and disappeared inside. I thought they were running a background check as it took close to 30 min when she came back and asked me to follow her. We went inside a room and she asked me to take a seat.

Officer: What are your names and date of birth?
Me: I stated my names and place of birth.
Officer: Where are you going to stay?
Me: I gave her my hotel name and address. I didn't remember it so she allowed me to use my phone which luckily I had to connect to the CBP WiFi as I couldn't use my Nigerian sim card.
Officer: Are any of your relatives in the United States?
Me: No
Officer: Can I get the names of your brothers and sisters and their phone numbers?
Me: I gave her the numbers and full names. All this time she scribbled on an A4 white paper all over the place randomly.
Officer: Do you use FB or any other social media?
Me: Yes, FB.
Officer: What about Whatsapp?
Me: Yes.
Officer: What is the name of your FB account?
Me: Bla bla bla.
Me: Officer, Am I been detained?
Officer: It's a normal procedure for the customs and border protection.
Officer: Do you only have one phone number with only one whatsapp application?
Me. Yes
Officer: Have you ever been to North Africa?
Me: No.
Officer: What about Libya?
Me: No! (I was wondering is Libya not part of North Africa. )
Officer: So you have never been to Libya?
Me: No
Officer: What other countries have you been to?
Me: Ghana, Cameroon, Togo and Spain.
Officer: Your current passport has a stamp that you've had a previous passport. Have you travelled with that passport?
Me: Yes
Officer: Do you have it with you?
Me: No.
Officer: Can I get the address of your home back in Nigeria.
Me: Gave her the address.
Officer: What are your parents occupation?
Me: Bla bla bla
Officer: Can I see your return ticket?
Me: Gives her my return ticket.
Officer: Where will you visit have you made any plans?
Me: Told her the Statue of Liberty, Rockerfeller Center, FinancialDistrict, Ellies Island, etc etc
Officer: How much money do you have with you?
Me: 2000 dollars
Officer: What made you visit NY and not other parts of US?
Me: It's famous and I have seen it in many movies, etc etc
Officer: You said you visited Spain right?
Me: Yes
Officer: How long did you stay in Spain?
Me: 2 months.
Officer: While in Spain did you see immigrants who were trafficked there illegally and what were their stories?
Me: I saw many people including foreigners and I wouldn't know if they were trafficked, living there illegally or legally.
Officer: Stamps my passport and says 'Welcome to the United States'.
Me: Thank you and have a nice day.

The kind of grilling I underwent was so intensive and next time I will surely travel with my expired passport as well if this is what people undergo in secondary inspection.

Firstly, when I asked her is I was been detained she dodged the question, only to hear from some friends that that is been detained. She even asked about my facebook and whatapp and I did not even hand her my phone. Why would they ask for whatsapp if they cannot access my phone?

Does it mean that the info I supplied will be kept in my record and they can track my facebook activity? Not that I post anything wrong there but it feels uncomfortable to know you are been tracked.

The lady who interrogated me never had CBP uniform but wore casual clothes with a badge worn over her neck. Was this some CIA or FBI officer? Why not dress in CBP uniform?

Another thing I would like to know is, in my future visa applications should I say YES to the question that they ask if I have ever been detained in any port of entry?

Fast forward to today, when I spoke with my relatives, nobody received a phone call from CBP. Why then take their phone numbers?

Thanks a lot and God bless.

funbeazy:
A big shout out to mr seye for helping me out during my journey, especially considering the fact that I had never spoken/chatted him before as regards my travel plans. He helped with the cancellation of a connecting flight that got delayed and assisted with booking another connecting flight as well as a hotel urgently to spend the night. He was in contact all throughout my journey while not knowing me from Adam. You made my journey very smooth and came through for a brother. God bless you real good boss.

Bro Don't mention but please share your transcript at the POE. God bless

Adaku1988:
Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Well I was totally unprepared, first time visiting the US. I flew from Lagos via Istanbul to JFK and landed midday'ish, travelling solo.
After a long queue, I get to the CBP officer to whom I hand my passport.

CBP Officer: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Tourism.
CBP Officer: Tooooouriiiiiism. (He says that prolonging the name as if I have made a mistake in my pronunciation). He finger prints me and stamps a date on the passport (six months).

Fast forward to today, when I spoke with my relatives, nobody received a phone call from CBP. Why then take their phone numbers?

Thanks a lot and God bless.

I think they're expecting someone that fit your profile and luckily your social media account was able to exonerate you and that Spanish visa was also part of the red flag maybe they thought you're part of the trafficking ring lolzzz. Thank you for the detail transcript, enjoy your holiday.

If any one want to quote Adaku1988 transcript abeg don't quote all her transcript oohhh... It eating up page and am tired of scrolling [url][/url][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

Adaku1988:
Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Thanks a lot and God bless.

Nice one.
It must have been a lot of emotional stress. You also got it locked in.

The questions were everywhere

That was intense. Enjoy your trip

Adaku1988:
Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Well I was totally unprepared, first time visiting the US. I flew from Lagos via Istanbul to JFK and landed midday'ish, travelling solo.
After a long queue, I get to the CBP officer to whom I hand my passport.

CBP Officer: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Tourism.
CBP Officer: Tooooouriiiiiism. (He says that prolonging the name as if I have made a mistake in my pronunciation). He finger prints me and stamps a date on the passport (six months).

By this time the little light indicators on his station had turned from green to red, and another officer standing nearby came and picked my passport and I was ushered in secondary.

Inside I saw many people especially asians and I was asked to take a seat. Across the room was a counter with CBP officers grilling at travellers. One guy was been asked to state the exact time he had spend in his previous visit to which he wasn't sure whether it was 2 years or 18 months.

Another lady was denied entry but permitted to make a phone call whilst an asian guy seated close to me had his phone taken and placed inside a folder together with his passport because he was using it. I quickly switched off my phone. (discreetly as I usually receive numerous calls)

Later on a lady without CBP uniform but with a badge around her neck came and picked my passport and disappeared inside. I thought they were running a background check as it took close to 30 min when she came back and asked me to follow her. We went inside a room and she asked me to take a seat.

Officer: What are your names and date of birth?
Me: I stated my names and place of birth.
Officer: Where are you going to stay?
Me: I gave her my hotel name and address. I didn't remember it so she allowed me to use my phone which luckily I had to connect to the CBP WiFi as I couldn't use my Nigerian sim card.
Officer: Are any of your relatives in the United States?
Me: No
Officer: Can I get the names of your brothers and sisters and their phone numbers?
Me: I gave her the numbers and full names. All this time she scribbled on an A4 white paper all over the place randomly.
Officer: Do you use FB or any other social media?
Me: Yes, FB.
Officer: What about Whatsapp?
Me: Yes.
Officer: What is the name of your FB account?
Me: Bla bla bla.
Me: Officer, Am I been detained?
Officer: It's a normal procedure for the customs and border protection.
Officer: Do you only have one phone number with only one whatsapp application?
Me. Yes
Officer: Have you ever been to North Africa?
Me: No.
Officer: What about Libya?
Me: No! (I was wondering is Libya not part of North Africa. )
Officer: So you have never been to Libya?
Me: No
Officer: What other countries have you been to?
Me: Ghana, Cameroon, Togo and Spain.
Officer: Your current passport has a stamp that you've had a previous passport. Have you travelled with that passport?
Me: Yes
Officer: Do you have it with you?
Me: No.
Officer: Can I get the address of your home back in Nigeria.
Me: Gave her the address.
Officer: What are your parents occupation?
Me: Bla bla bla
Officer: Can I see your return ticket?
Me: Gives her my return ticket.
Officer: Where will you visit have you made any plans?
Me: Told her the Statue of Liberty, Rockerfeller Center, FinancialDistrict, Ellies Island, etc etc
Officer: How much money do you have with you?
Me: 2000 dollars
Officer: What made you visit NY and not other parts of US?
Me: It's famous and I have seen it in many movies, etc etc
Officer: You said you visited Spain right?
Me: Yes
Officer: How long did you stay in Spain?
Me: 2 months.
Officer: While in Spain did you see immigrants who were trafficked there illegally and what were their stories?
Me: I saw many people including foreigners and I wouldn't know if they were trafficked, living there illegally or legally.
Officer: Stamps my passport and says 'Welcome to the United States'.
Me: Thank you and have a nice day.

The kind of grilling I underwent was so intensive and next time I will surely travel with my expired passport as well if this is what people undergo in secondary inspection.

Firstly, when I asked her is I was been detained she dodged the question, only to hear from some friends that that is been detained. She even asked about my facebook and whatapp and I did not even hand her my phone. Why would they ask for whatsapp if they cannot access my phone?

Does it mean that the info I supplied will be kept in my record and they can track my facebook activity? Not that I post anything wrong there but it feels uncomfortable to know you are been tracked.

The lady who interrogated me never had CBP uniform but wore casual clothes with a badge worn over her neck. Was this some CIA or FBI officer? Why not dress in CBP uniform?

Another thing I would like to know is, in my future visa applications should I say YES to the question that they ask if I have ever been detained in any port of entry?

Fast forward to today, when I spoke with my relatives, nobody received a phone call from CBP. Why then take their phone numbers?

Thanks a lot and God bless.

Adaku1988:
Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Well I was totally unprepared, first time visiting the US. I flew from Lagos via Istanbul to JFK and landed midday'ish, travelling solo.
After a long queue, I get to the CBP officer to whom I hand my passport.

CBP Officer: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Tourism.
CBP Officer: Tooooouriiiiiism. (He says that prolonging the name as if I have made a mistake in my pronunciation). He finger prints me and stamps a date on the passport (six months).

By this time the little light indicators on his station had turned from green to red, and another officer standing nearby came and picked my passport and I was ushered in secondary.

Whew, Traditional SECONDARY INSPECTION! Always tougher than the embassy interview and all. Congratulations to you....

Loads of "psychological warfare" was at play here, majorly. Barrage of questions! Seems the target mostly was for you to cave in at some point depending on how legit you were. DS160 stylishly reviewed, travel plans reviewed, financial capacity ascertained again quickly. Surprised not to read of further questions per why you did 2 months in Spain.

The WhatsApp part, I'm interested too. Savvy nairalanders should kindly let us know how secure WhatsApp is please. Meanwhile, I got to Secondary Inspection in 2011, I have renewed a couple of times subsequently without answering YES to that question, no issues whatsoever, I think too the way you wrote it out here is not exactly a coinage/paraphrase of what is actually asked in the form, I doubt. Well, well, enjoy your time in the city that never sleeps!

That's certainly a lot of grilling. But nothing out of the ordinary for typical secondary inspection. You were legit and honest, and that's the bottom line. Welcome to the US!

In this day of information technology, majority of the information you provided will be stored with your profile. They can easily cross check your facebook / whatsapp number and compare with certain postings if they need to.

Adaku1988:
Hey my beloved people,
I finally made it to the US, and I would like to share my experience at the POE in JFK, now that I have a computer as typing with my phone I lost my message three times.

Well I was totally unprepared, first time visiting the US. I flew from Lagos via Istanbul to JFK and landed midday'ish, travelling solo.
After a long queue, I get to the CBP officer to whom I hand my passport.

OmoBendel24:

The WhatsApp part, I'm interested too. Savvy nairalanders should kindly let us know how secure WhatsApp is please.

Whatsapp is quite secure. However the government usually has a backdoor access to almost all social media platforms and mobile phones.

NothingDoMe:
Whatsapp is quite secure. However the government usually has a backdoor access to almost all social media platforms and mobile phones.

but what if someone formats his phone when traveling to the USA?

NothingDoMe:
Whatsapp is quite secure. However the government usually has a backdoor access to almost all social media platforms and mobile phones.

true but in that situation, you must be a serious security threat for them to want to forcefully gain access to your whatsapp.

Madlov3:
but what if someone formats his phone when traveling to the USA?

You obviously have something to hide.

Your WhatsApp and Social Media Accounts are only accessed via your phone. Formatting the phone doesn't cancel or delete the accounts

Madlov3:
but what if someone formats his phone when traveling to the USA?

Lol.

seyewest:


true but in that situation, you must be a serious security threat for them to want to forcefully gain access to your whatsapp.

Not really.

NothingDoMe:
Not really.

I mean in situation where they must take backdoor to access your whatsapp.

fkj950ax:


You obviously have something to hide.

Your WhatsApp and Social Media Accounts are only accessed via your phone. Formatting the phone doesn't cancel or delete the accounts

Thats True. I had a discussion with a friend on the rate some ppl share crazy stuffs on WhatsApp. Imagine someone sharing the pic of a man having seex with a cow and tagging him a “herdsman”. These are contents that shouldn’t be seen on phones.

seyewest:


I mean in situation where they must take backdoor to access your whatsapp.

I think they normally skim through using a search program to find key words.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_the_United_States

Hello guys.
I am about to book my ticket. The stop over is London heathrow, in the evening, For onward journey to the US the next Morning. But I don't have a valid UK visa. Is this going to be a problem. So I can check for other airlines.
Your swift response will be appreciated.

Teshoma1111:
Hello guys.
I am about to book my ticket. The stop over is London heathrow, in the evening, For onward journey to the US the next Morning. But I don't have a valid UK visa. Is this going to be a problem. So I can check for other airlines.
Your swift response will be appreciated.

More than 12 hours at the airport, why not find a something convenient? if that was emirates/turkish they will provide you with free hotel and feeding.

seyewest:


More than 12 hours at the airport, why not find a something convenient? if that was emirates/turkish they will provide you with free hotel and feeding.

He can actually enter the UK with the US visa and onward ticket if he’s doing 8hrs+ on transit, at the discretion of the border force officer though....

OmoBendel24:


He can actually enter the UK with the US visa and onward ticket if he’s doing 8hrs+ on transit, at the discretion of the border force officer though....

Correct...but I wouldn't advise he risk it...incase he faces a very mean UK CPB officer who refuses him.

Madlov3:
but what if someone formats his phone when traveling to the USA?

Why do that, have you got things to hide
Those guys generally do background checks on people entering their soil. These days, almost everyone has a digital footprint online and it goes beyond WhatsApp messages.

If you are clean,then fear not

Thank you Seyewest, beautyaddy and Omobendel, I've actually booked with Emirates with a shorter lay over- 2hours. I don't want to risk anything lol.

Ps: I am a 'she'

Beautyaddy:


Correct...but I wouldn't advise he risk it...incase he faces a very mean UK CPB officer who refuses him.

overlord77:


Why do that, have you got things to hide
Those guys generally do background checks on people entering their soil. These days, almost everyone has a digital footprint online and it goes beyond WhatsApp messages.

If you are clean,then fear not

Digital footprint is good if you have nothing to hide.

Teshoma1111:
Thank you Seyewest, beautyaddy and Omobendel, I've actually booked with Emirates with a shorter lay over- 2hours. I don't want to risk anything lol.

Ps: I am a 'she'

from Lagos/Abuja to where?