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There's plenty of professions a con can claim without this problem: an uber/taxi driver, hotel receptionist, child tutor, retail worker, farmers market vendor,

There's plenty of professions a con can claim without this problem: an uber/taxi driver, hotel receptionist, child tutor, retail worker, farmers market vendor, stay at home parent, a convenience store, valet, or gas station attendant, a mall cop or bouncer at a bar... This is classic security theater. Inconveniencing legitimate people while leaving gaping holes for any actual crook to exploit. In politics and bureaucracies, orchestrating a perception is more important than instrumenting a reality.

ptaipale 10y ago
Yes, but then that helps down in narrowing down the focus in border control. If you are arriving in US and declare "I plan to work as a taxi driver" or "I'm coming as a hotel receptionist", but you lack the appropriate work permit, it's a flag.
- kristopolous 10y ago
  That's not what this is. First, this guy is in the US on a layover between Europe and Australia [1]. And second, these questions are being asked of tourists. And before you say things are not affordable to people in those professions, flights are under $200 right now. A person of modest means could feasibly save up for an overseas vacation. My theory is they have KPIs to hit and found denying entry based on challenging field-related puzzles is a decent way to do it. An indicator of how many actual thwarted espionage or terror events is likely harder to quantify (and for most, it's probably zero). [1] I was wrong. He was on a 10 day vacation.
  - temp 10y ago
    >First, this guy is in the US on a layover between Europe and Australia. The article quotes him as saying he was on vacation in the US.
    - kristopolous 10y ago
      You are correct. 10 day vacation. I was sloppy.
stanislavb 10y ago
Well said