Cash has always been preferred to take care of hobby expenses to avoid any paper trails checks or credit cards leave.
Watched an old Alfred Hitchcock show from the 50s last night that got me wondering. Basically a bank officer killed another banker dealing in some shady bank double cross. The Killer thought he did a perfect crime and would never get caught. He stole a large amount of money, all in brand new C-notes. He thought he safely stashed them away in another secret bank account he created in another State.
Police were called in and doing basic LE work back in the 50s were able to catch the killer and recover all the missing money. All LE did was track the C-note serial numbers that all banks and the Fed bank record when money is transferred from US Treasury to banks in the USA. Since these were all freshly issued brand new bills it was easy. LE then got the serial numbers and did a search for those bills which all turned up in another State where the killer deposited them, with dates etc. This was all done way before computers, etc., were around. Guess that bank worker wasn't that bright and should have known this. Well LE pulls him in for questioning and he falls apart and confesses when LE shows all the evidence that had on him.
Flash to today with computers and who knows what else they have to track every penny we spend. Say you see your fav sp, hit an AMP or massage parlor. First you hit your ATM draw out some brand new bills you hand to your provider for services rendered. Then a couple days later you read in the newspaper she or the AMP, or MP was raided and Thousands of dollars were confiscated there, with an investigation underway.
Is this just being unduly paranoid or is there a possibility LE may call you in to explain how money you withdrew, with the serial numbers ABC, from your bank ATM, were found to match money seized, ABC, from a sp, AMP, MP that was just busted?