We’re all a little nervous about our credit cards. A thief’s card scanner could be lurking in almost any ATM, gas pump, or a sales clerk’s or waiter’s pocket. In Oklahoma, these thieves wear police uniforms and use a new technology called “ERAD” that allows them to empty your bank accounts and cash cards right in front of your eyes. It does this instantly “May I see your cash cards, please?” and without a search warrant, court order, or criminal conviction. All the cop has to do is say, “I suspect you of committing a crime, and I’m seizing your assets,” and then take your money. No followup arrest or prosecution is required; the cop’s arbitrary on-the-spot say-so is all that’s needed to strip you of your cash. The company that makes and sells the ERAD equipment gets a 7.7% cut of the proceeds. This should be against the law, and until it is, you shouldn’t set foot in Oklahoma or any other state where police are using ERAD. Read the story here, here, and here.