The Dubai-Payoneer connection

As I noted below, the New York-based company Payoneer is linked to Israel in a number of ways, not least through it’s Israeli CEO, Yuval Tal, a former member of an elite combat unit of the Israel Defense Forces and former Vice President of Business Development for the Tel Aviv-based technology company, Radware. Tal describes how Payoneer operates in this video.

As Clayton Swisher notes:

Mr Tal did not exactly conceal his prior affiliations when he appeared on Fox News during the 2006 Lebanon war. He opined then that “this is a war that Israel cannot afford to lose”.

If Tal or his Payoneer firm are in any way involved in the conspiracy to help a foreign intelligence service (like, say providing Mossad operatives with credit cards), he may soon find himself in his own battle with little prospects of winning – in a US courtroom.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the lead agency with statutory authority and responsibilities for investigating foreign espionage activities on US soil. It’s a job they take seriously and with a proven record of not shying away from the numerous instances when America’s special ally played foul.

As an initial inquiry, I imagine case agents will subpoena all financial records associated with the fraudulently issued credit cards. This would include the original credit card applications, which requires such things as a delivery address (to mail the card to), social security numbers, dates of birth, and employment information.

If the applications were made on paper, then the documents may contain all manner of evidence, from handwriting samples to fingerprints. There will be a similar trail to pore over if the applications were made over the phone or electronically via computer.

I also smell money laundering, as the money was supposedly dumped into prepaid accounts to conceal its purpose and origination. So US investigators may even want to tap in on the US treasury department’s crack financial investigator, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN).

Beneath an article about Payoneer appearing at TechCrunch, a commenter suggests: “payoneer is definitely in the legal gray area when it comes to the patriot’s act, anti-money laundering, and a host of other laws around ‘know your customer'”
Tal answers:

Payoneer is meticulously compliant with all federal, state and MasterCard regulations, including AML, BSA, Patriot act, KYC etc. There is nothing grey about it. As a certified MasterCard Member Service Provider we undergo rigorous ongoing diligence related, among others, to our regulatory compliance level.

If Payoneer comes under investigation, the FBI and US government regulatory agencies will not simply take Tal at his word. They will want to know exactly how Payoneer cards could be used by individuals with false identification.

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16 thoughts on “The Dubai-Payoneer connection

  1. Kipchuk

    If there is a deep, as opposed to a cursory, investigation of such matters related to the Dubai affair by the FBI and/or US Government Regulatory Agencies, I’ll be stunned.

  2. Strelnikov

    There may be an investigation, but it won’t save the Mossad killers and what may be a cohort of innocent tourists and business travellers (why did it take 20 people to kill one guy? Something is fishy…) they used as cover from assasination attempts. Not right now, of course, but as soon as the event is forgotten the revenge will begin.

  3. Blackbeard

    “Dead Men Tell No Tales” me hearties, so several inept crew members will doubtless walk the plank when the ship of state is far off-shore. Of course if the ‘accidents’ and ‘inexplicable medical failures’ are performed as ineptly as the Dubai Debacle, the number of possible plank walkers will expand exponentially. This could be flap of the butterfly’s wing that will raise the chaotic whirlwind for all to reap.

    As far as ‘…why did it take 20 people…’ , please see this as a training exercise as well as an assassination. “Now class – pay attention! This is how we apply the electrodes, and now the plastic bag over the head – so much more effective than the messy practice of water-boarding. After all when one lives in an arid country, one needs to save water wherever possible. And plastic bags leave no ballistics evidence.” Shalom.

  4. Chris Frazier

    Dear Strelnikov,

    It didn’t “take 20 people to kill one guy.” The use of so many agents was to help create a simple magician’s trick of misdirection. With so many actors in play, literally going in circles and in and out of doors and elevators at some moments, it becomes far more difficult to sort out who did what. Watch some of the old Marx brothers comedies and you’ll see this technique used for purely entertainment purposes. Of course, in the Dubai murder, there was no entertainment purpose unless that phrase was wholly redefined as I slept. Quite aside from this black intelligence operation, Israel has lost the so-called moral high ground in its quests to have the world condone or remain silent about the campaign of genocide against the Palestinian Arabs. Israel’s cries of “anti-Semitism” and “holocaust deniers” are losing their force as devices to silence critics of its murderous policies. They have turned Gaza into something resembling the Warsaw Ghetto of World War II. The government of Israel murders with impunity. And be assured that I don’t deny the reality of the holocaust in which 1.5 million Roma were also slaughtered but largely forgotten because they have no propaganda or fund-raising value for Israel. Neither, if my associations were known, could I be labeled “anti-Semitic.” I simply condemn genocide no matter what nation or band of thugs commits it.

  5. mary

    For prepaid Visa cards, the social security number and home address are required. However, the company makes the claim that it does nothing more with a SSN than use it to verify the applicant’s age, but I doubt this is actually true. Money transactions require records under the Patriot Act. Employment information is not required at all.

  6. Barb

    After Dubai cuts their hands off, I hope the identity thieves will not expect American tax payers to foot the bill for prostheses and physical therapy.

  7. Danny

    Too much Jewish and Israeli influence to allow FBI digging into the identification of those front companies who funneled the funds into those accounts.
    FBI investigation ends here.

  8. Matt

    *laughing*
    I love the rattlers who talk about this as murder, and as if its part of the israeli genocide campaign. News flash, idiots- the guy they offed is on the terror watch list of every single country that had there passports forged. 😛 He’s an arms supplier for the HAMAS. They use childsoldiers as suicide bombers quite regularly.

  9. Mordechai V.

    Talk about a rabbit hole – this one runs deep. A further look into the Payoneer board of directors we find the big fish that leads not just to Mossad – but the NSA!

    Rami Mittelman sits as the Chief Operating Officer of Payoneer . Rami Mittelman is also listed as VP Product Manager of VERINT SYSTEMS. VERINT is a subsidiary of Comverse Infosys started by ex-Israeli intelligence Officers and provides data-processing programs to American law enforcement agencies authorized to eavesdrop on private phone conversations. Other Verint Directors include past NSA/NRO and DIA head LT. GEN Kenneth Minihan (http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=1908593&privcapId=1446400&previousCapId=1717518&previousTitle=Verint%20Systems%20Inc.)

    Verint is listed under the Israeli aerospace and homeland security sections http://www.export.gov.il/Eng/_Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=9490&CategoryID=686&Page=1
    Comverse executives were arrested for stock manipulation and financial fraud in 2006 and delisted from the stock exchange

    A little more digging you find connections to everything from voice biometrics to license plate recognition (http://www.israel21c.org/technology/israeli-voice-verification-keeps-track-of-visa-holders-to-us) but most importantly – airport security. (http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1-/3385-the-private-and-profitable-world-o) All of these hi-tech Israeli companies are military spin-offs and Payoneer board members also work for Verint – responsible for airport screening.

  10. jason hench

    Follow the money! Isn’t it ironic – in a 2008 techcrunch article Payoneer is described as “The Israeli startup (whose headquarters are in New York City), will use the new cash to fund expansion into more markets and invest in technologies to detect and prevent fraud and abuse by criminals and terrorists.”.

    Payoneer board members are graduates of the Talbiot and Israeli military 8200 unit, the ultra-secret high-tech intelligence unit

  11. John Doe

    I think you guys have much time in your hands. Payoneer sells “Debit” MasterCards, the kind of rechargeable cash cards you take on holiday abroad. ANYONE can order one online. The only thing they ask is for a JPG of a driving license or passport. Go and figure!

  12. walker

    It amazes me that people paint this as a Mossad success. When all the evidence and results are that it was a massive Mossad failure.

    Mahmoud al-Mabhouh Was a worm on a hook
    A man dying of cancer looking for one last hurrah against his sworn enemy. The bait in a well thought out plan to gather intelligence and spring a strategic level trap on the Mossad.

    Mossad was tricked into killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh

    Here is the evidence

    1) The Target was Dying of Cancer, we get this from the Pre Written Original Obituary report from his former organisation (not the organisation that was current at the time of his death and who he supposedly went to Dubai for) and that they past on that information within 24 hours of the report of his death and before his new organisation could counter it and prevent the fact of his long term illness leaking into the news:
    http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=255640

    2) I also point out he booked his ticket over the Internet in his own name knowing it would show up on Mossad’s surveillance and also as was reported by the Dubai Police that he travelled on his own passport:
    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587044,00.html?test=latestnews

    Also reported in the Jerusalem Post and various other Israeli News papers, as well as the Western media and Gulf news papers:

    3) Most of those same articles also point out: he talked to his family in Gaza about the trip over the phone knowing their phone lines were tapped by the Mossad as does this one from the UAE.
    http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100131/FOREIGN/701309828/1002

    5) That he had arranged for his wife to phone him at that hotel at a specific time as was reported by the Dubai Police as being the trigger for the hotel staff to break in to his hotel. Thus specifying a time line when Mossad could kill him.
    http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146911.html

    6) In all the videos, this experienced agent of Hamas with three previous attempts on his life by Israel successfully beaten and supposedly training in counter surveillance from nation states; he the target employed no counter surveillance what so ever:
    http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=dubaisesslon&annotation_id=annotation_425824

    7) The target also traveled without his usual bodyguards, despite at least three previous attempts to assassinate him by Israel:
    http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100131/FOREIGN/701309828/1002

    8) The discovery that the two Palestinian Mossad assets, turn out to be, a former Gaza FATA PA Policeman who’s family is still in Gaza and had been living in exile in Dubai after being accused of being a Mossad spy. And then his Brother who has been living in Gaza until recently, suddenly turns up and joins him to suddenly also become a Mossad asset, all a short while before the Target conveniently presents himself.
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7034183.ece

    9) Then after the event the Two Palestinian assets are the only ones captured within 24 hours mind you, there is no film of them and they are scooted away to the UAE. There is much confusion about this where both FATA and Hamas say they are members of the opposite group.
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7034183.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2

    And then the evidence was gathered and released in a controlled fashion by an impeccable witness. Using Dubai to conduct, what IMHO was a counter Mossad operation; was a master stroke. Most of the leg work could be done by electronic means and by a western trained police force.

    The indisputable fact that Dubai police in the speed it reacted to a single assassination; beat both the US FBI, CIA, NSA and police in the speed it got information on the 9/11 suspects; and MI5 and Scotland Yard on the London 7/7 bombing suspects; yet this remarkable feat has never been remarked on by anyone.

    I give no evidence for this last point but ask for you to examine your own credulity on the matter.

    IMHO the Dubai Police have been fed the evidence to suit another parties needs.

    Like I said IMHO Mahmoud al-Mabhouh Was a worm on a hook
    A man dying of cancer looking for one last hurrah against his sworn enemy. The bait in a well thought out plan to gather intelligence and spring a strategic level trap on The Mossad.

    Now let us look at the results:

    Tactical moves by the Mossad that I think were made with clear goals in mind were:
    1) Kill the Target [√]
    2) Escape the Country [√]

    Strategic moves by the Mossad that I think were made with clear goals in mind were:
    1) Maintain Mossad’s targeted killings strategy. [√]
    2) Maintain political deniability [X]
    3) Use the “policy of ambiguity” to supplement political deniability while hinting at implacable state retribution [X]

    Tactical moves by the force Inimical to Israel that I think were made with clear goals in mind were:

    1) Choose the time and location on which the operation will take place. [√]
    2) Control and pollute the Mossad intelligence stream. [√]
    3) Gather detailed intelligence and records of Mossad’s methods, Tradecraft and cover companies like Payoneer. [√]
    4) Negate all the agents involved, including those at the cover companies now named in the US, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as busting those cover companies, even the agents and assets not identified by Dubai police are now useless, you cannot be sure the other side has not got the identities of those that are not named. [√]
    5) Conduct a successful counter operation to a Mossad targeted killing operation. [√]
    6) Create a Hamas martyr from a man who was dying anyway [√]
    7) Control the release of information for maximum effect [√]

    Strategic moves by the force Inimical to Israel that I think were made with clear goals in mind were:
    1) Isolate Israel from Dubai by luring Mossad into action on Dubai’s Soil. [√]
    2) Isolate Israel from Allies by filming the whole event and capturing Israel’s use of Allies Passports.[√]
    Mossad’s habit of cloning passports from not unfriendly nations has a long history and was a predictable aspect. 25 year ago it caused a big problem when UK passports were used and Israel was forced to promise not to do it any more. Ditto the poison in the ear the use of Canadian passports, and the more recent New Zealand passports case where New Zealand withdrew all senior diplomatic relations. Israeli Governments have fallen in the past as a result of less than this. IMHO this time it is worse as several nations are affected at the same time.
    3) Get Mossad and Israel castigated by the whole world, such that Ambassadors get quizzed and carpeted. [√]
    4) Tarnish the reputation of Mossad by making them appear Amateurish [√]
    5) Reduce public Trust of Mossad within Israel. [√]
    6) Cause Mossad’s trust of its assets to be knocked and questioned within Mossad. [√]
    10) Mossad’s targeted killings operation gets called into question and possibly put on hold. [√]
    11) Cause Israel to suffer sanctions and costs at the hands of formerly friendly nations.[?]
    12) Reduce Israel’s international political capital at a strategic moment in time. [√]

    You could argue that a portion or indeed all of of these strategic and tactical elements were accidental and not intended but their effect remains the same Mossad the supposed ultra spies have been beaten and suffered catastrophic damage.

  13. Mordechai V.

    The Payoneer trail is starting to unravel! Yuval Tal has fled and the headquarters turnsout to be a front – a virtual office9 See http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nyer_linked_to_dubai_hit_disappears_ILkzvXvivqm91z6UhhkpTN).

    This is getting interesting .Too bad the F.B.I. aren’t investigating financing of international assassinations these days or they could really learn something.(See http://www.observer.com/2010/wall-street/new-york-citys-assassination-connection?page=0)

  14. jason hench

    Hebrew daily Yedioth Aharonoth is reporting that Mossad agents recently spent 3 months training in Gulf states while using foreign names and passports including German, Irish, and Australian. They spoke English during their three-month training and focused on data collection on terrorists – read surveillance, and urban combat! What are the odds? This bears further investigation including the unnamed private training company
    http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=268263

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