# Someone cashed a check I did not write from my bank account



## ada903

I logged into my online checking account today and I saw a pending transaction for $100 titled "teller cashed check"'but no other detail or check image is available since the transaction just happened yesterday. 

I went to my local branch as soon as they opened and the banker said that person must have had an ID in my name in order to cash a check! How scary is that? I closed my old account and opened a new one, and they are currently investigating.

Has this happened to someone else, or has anyone else heard of similar fraud? How can someone have a fake ID with my name on it?


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

I have had local people who I had written a check to, example our church, show as "teller cashed check", if someone, such as the secretary brought it into the bank and gave it to a teller. Can you identify the check number? The amount? as anything you recently wrote, probably locally.
Liz


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## ada903

I did not write a check for $100 to anyone, that's the problem.  All my transactions are up to date, and there is a zero chance that I wrote a check to someone and forgot about it.  Also, the transaction shows a check number of 5416, and all my personal checks are in the one thousand range, and have been for years. It's definitely some form of fraud.


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## rickandcindy23

Why would your bank accept such a check?  I think banks need to be more responsible with our money.  They don't have your signature on that check!  Sorry this happened to you.  These criminals are getting more brazen.


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## ada903

I can think of two scenarios.  Someone faked a check from me to them and went to the teller and cashed it (they sure had a lot of guts to cash this at the teller!). 

Or worse, someone has a fake I'D with my name, wrote a bad check and cashed it against my account, pretending they are me.  In this case, if they have a fake ID, what stops them from doing it again??


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## KauaiMark

*Inside job?*



ada903 said:


> I did not write a check for $100 to anyone, .. transaction shows a check number of 5416, and all my personal checks are in the one thousand range, .



Is check #5416 missing from the blank checks you haven't got to yet? 
If so, sounds like it might be someone that had access to your house recently.

Relative, contractor, etc


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## Kay H

Smart move closing the account and opening a new one.  Hope they find the guilty person.  Sometimes the thief writes a check for a small amount and if it goes through, writes one for a larger amount.


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## dougp26364

With check ordering services from outside the traditional banks, this has been something that has always concerned me. I've always fealt that someone has to be somewhat desperate to go through the trouble of stealing a bank routing number, name and forge a false ID to get away with this sort of theft. 

Fortunately, you caught it quickly. That could in turn catch this person as I'm sure they'll attempt to either cash another check or go shopping with that closed account. 

I find banks are awfully lax when it comes to security. You don't have to go into a bank with guns demanding money in order to rob a bank these days. People do it all the time with ID and credit cards theft. They may not be as flashy as the Dalton Gang, James Gang, or Bonnie and Clyde but the results are the same. They're just stealing a few hundred or a few thousand at a time. Sometimes when they bleed the banks accounts slowly the bank doesn't notice it or take action against it as they would someone walking into the bank with a gun. It's obvious they didn't notice that $100 walking out their door yet they were robbed just the same.

And to think, I've seen people get upset about thumb print technology when they want to cash a check. An ID can be easy to fake. A thumb print isn't quite as easy.


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## JanT

Adriana,

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you!  It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc.  I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit.  You were smart to close your account and open a new one.  There is something else you need to do as well, I think.  Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.  

I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well.  Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.  

There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening.  Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI.  Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me.  It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges.  Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name.  The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me.  Seriously????  What kind of friend does that?  Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.  

Sorry to get off on my own rant there.  Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.

Jan


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## lll1929

I work at a credit union and we see alot of attempts to cash fake checks or checks written off a closed account.  

Sounds like someone created a check with your checking account information.  Fake checks are really easy to make since the paper is sold at many office supply stores.  They can get your checking account information (routing #, acct#) in many ways.  The idea that they have a fake ID with your name is very scary....

Glad you caught it immediately and closed your account.  Hopefully this person will get caught the next time they attempt to cash a check on your account.... Many folks try again after having success the first time...


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## ada903

Thanks all for the feedback!  No, check 5416 could not have come from my checkbook since all my checks for at least two years have been numbered in the one-thousand range.

We are pretty savy about credit - our files are frozen with a security freeze with all three bureaus, and we subscribe to Identity Guard - as Costco executive members it only costs $7.49 a month to monitor our credit and get our credit reports with scores once a month with all three Bureaus.

By tomorrow a copy of the cashed check should be available to view, as it takes 24 hours, so I am curious to see what happened!  The banker said that it is also possible that a teller punched in the wrong account number and someone else's check came out of my account.  That would be a better scenario than identity theft, although I wasted half a day closing my account, ordering new checkcard and checkbooks, changing my direct deposit at work, etc! Nuts!


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## ada903

Jan, given what happened to you with I'D theft, you should place a permanent security freeze with all three Bureaus - we both did so and although it is a bit of a hassle to call in and pay the fee when we need to have our credit checked  (e.g. I need a new car soon!), it is worth the few extra bucks and time to temporarily lift the freeze!



JanT said:


> Adriana,
> 
> I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you!  It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc.  I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit.  You were smart to close your account and open a new one.  There is something else you need to do as well, I think.  Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.
> 
> I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well.  Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.
> 
> There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening.  Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI.  Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me.  It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges.  Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name.  The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me.  Seriously????  What kind of friend does that?  Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.
> 
> Sorry to get off on my own rant there.  Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.
> 
> Jan


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## JanT

Adriana,

Yes, we have a permanent credit freeze with all 3 bureaus.  It is a bit of a pain but we're not in the market for any credit really so it isn't really a problem.  It just makes me uneasy to know that someone is trying to use my identity in some fashion - whether as a prank, to irritate me, or truly to steal my identity.



ada903 said:


> Jan, given what happened to you with I'D theft, you should place a permanent security freeze with all three Bureaus - we both did so and although it is a bit of a hassle to call in and pay the fee when we need to have our credit checked  (e.g. I need a new car soon!), it is worth the few extra bucks and time to temporarily lift the freeze!


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## SueDonJ

JanT said:


> Adriana,
> 
> I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you!  It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc.  I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit.  You were smart to close your account and open a new one.  There is something else you need to do as well, I think.  Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.
> 
> I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well.  Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.
> 
> There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening.  Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI.  Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me.  It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges.  Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name.  The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me.  Seriously????  What kind of friend does that?  *Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.*
> 
> Sorry to get off on my own rant there.  Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.
> 
> Jan



Jan, you should file a police report.  Years ago we were victims of theft when a BJ's employee hacked into the system and stole debit card numbers.  We found out about the theft when the bank called us to ask if recent charges in IL were legitimate.  They weren't, of course, and the bank did everything to put things back in order but asked us specifically to contact our local police and file a report.  It wasn't until months later that we learned who had actually committed the theft, when police made the connection between our report and the BJ's employee who had recently been arrested.  Ultimately our report and several others were added to all the other evidence in the court action.

You don't have to call 911 and have squad cars come screaming to your house immediately.     You can stop by the nearest police station or call its non-emergency line and ask to speak to someone about filing a report.  That's what we did, and an officer came by to take the statement when it was convenient.  Fifteen minutes, answer some simple questions, and you might end up strengthening a case against a bad guy.  Win-win.


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## pedro47

I would request a photo copy or a microfilm copy of the check from the bank and start from that point.


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## ada903

Yes, a copy of the check should be available within 24 hours when the transaction completes, I am very anxious now to see if this was a terrible mistake done by a teller who posted a transaction to the wrong account, a counterfeit check that used my account information, or what!


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## rickandcindy23

Our credit union has made mistakes over the years, so I would not be surprised to hear that it was just an error.  

Please let us know.


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## pgnewarkboy

rickandcindy23 said:


> Why would your bank accept such a check?  I think banks need to be more responsible with our money.  They don't have your signature on that check!  Sorry this happened to you.  These criminals are getting more brazen.



A signature on a check is meaningless.  Banks cash checks no matter how they are signed and who signs them.   I am surprised they even asked for an ID -  let me rephrase it - I sincerely doubt they asked for ID.  In all likelihood they just cashed the check.


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## Kagehitokiri2

even if its some minor mistake, if you have funds in that account, always better to be safe than sorry!


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## ada903

I agree! That's why I rushed in this morning and closed my account - better safe than sorry!  I was also able to place a password on my new account, they are supposed to require the password for every transaction, deposit or withdrawal, so hopefully that helps in the future (although I don't think it would prevent someone from cashing a fake check unless they pretend they are me, in which case they need to provide the password).



Kagehitokiri2 said:


> even if its some minor mistake, if you have funds in that account, always better to be safe than sorry!


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## AnnaS

Keep us posted.

I have had my cc compromised twice and last year when my son was sent for either random drug testing or physical at work, the hospital he went to said his social showed someone else's name.  We were also advised to contact the three credit companies and also filed a police report.


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## bobcat

ada903 said:


> I logged into my online checking account today and I saw a pending transaction for $100 titled "teller cashed check"'but no other detail or check image is available since the transaction just happened yesterday.
> 
> I went to my local branch as soon as they opened and the banker said that person must have had an ID in my name in order to cash a check! How scary is that? I closed my old account and opened a new one, and they are currently investigating.
> 
> Has this happened to someone else, or has anyone else heard of similar fraud? How can someone have a fake ID with my name on it?



We live semi  rural. we have the mailbox outside our house buy the street. Two weeks ago, one of the houses did not receive mail for two days. Owner went to the post Office and aked them to look into it. They researched his proble. It seems someone went to the P O and put in a change od address for him to Florida. P O took care of this problem fast. We have alot of in these boxes all over the towns where we live. Stealing mail is has become an issue more and more.


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## ada903

Thanks again for all the comments. Yes, mail is a great gateway for identity theft, so easy to break into and get account numbers and personal info.  Even social security numbers travel by mail at times, like tax returns for example. 

I hope to know by tomorrow from the bank what really happened! I will post an update!


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## Pat H

In my case, checks in the 5000 range are all from my online bill pay. Could that be it? Like you said you will know tomorrow when you see the copy. If the teller did key in the wrong account #, the check will not even hit your account. It will be processed against the account # encoded on the check. Although it does happen, $100 is rather small for a counterfeit check.

Where I worked, all checks being cashed were scanned thru a MICR reader. Counterfeit checks almost never have MICR encoding. The account info would come up on the screen and the teller would (should) match it to the info on the check. 

I am always asked for ID at the branch in my new hometown except for today. I cashed a $26 check and wasn't asked. I also thank the tellers when they ask for ID. 

Never put your outgoing mail in the mailbox outside your house for the mailman to pick up. That's just asking for trouble.


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## dioxide45

There may be no check copy to see. Is this not possibly a situation where someone cashed a check against your account? All you are seeing online is the $100 hold for the $100 check cashed. Could be a simple bank error. If the check clears, the hold drops.


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## AnnaS

Pat H said:


> I am always asked for ID at the branch in my new hometown except for today. I cashed a $26 check and wasn't asked. I also thank the tellers when they ask for ID.
> 
> Never put your outgoing mail in the mailbox outside your house for the mailman to pick up. That's just asking for trouble.



As annoying as it is when the tellers ask us for ID, it is for our own protection.  I rather they ask too.

As far as putting mail outside of our house, I used to do it and people here do it all the time.  I never gave it a second thought before.


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## ada903

Would the bank not keep a copy of the cashed check? I think they would still save the image.  Right now the transaction still shows pending so there is no image to view, but I am hoping it will be viewable tomorrow.



dioxide45 said:


> There may be no check copy to see. Is this not possibly a situation where someone cashed a check against your account? All you are seeing online is the $100 hold for the $100 check cashed. Could be a simple bank error. If the check clears, the hold drops.


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## pjrose

If this was cashed at the teller, then wouldn't the person be on video?


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## MuranoJo

My credit union didn't notice my Debit card was hacked until friends who traveled with us noticed it earlier, as it also happened to them and they notified us. Only then did I check my account and realize they got $8k from our account.  I was amazed the credit union didn't notice multiple ATM charges from South America wipe out my checking, then wipe out my line of credit, then finally tap into my savings. (My credit card co. would have called us immediately.)  Luckily, it was insured and I got it all back.  

I don't trust the banks to watch for this, and ever since then, I am vigilent about checking my account transactions online. I realize bottom line I am responsible for this--it's just that I didn't expect it, to show up 6 months after our trip.  But I guess the delay is pretty common as they sell the #s in batches as they accumulate them.


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## pjrose

Muranjo - what was done about this?  What did you have to do to get your money back?


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## MuranoJo

pjrose said:


> Muranjo - what was done about this?  What did you have to do to get your money back?



I got all the money back as it was insured, and immediately changed my debit card password. No problems since.  I immediately notified the credit union, they tracked the source to South America, and told me it was very unlikely they'd be able to track down the scammers. In fact they acknowledged this is not all that unusual and it is rarely pursued as the expense to nail these guys is just not worth it I guess.  

My advice is to just be very careful of the ATM machines you use when traveling--best bet is to use a bank in the area.


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## ada903

Well I just woke up and logged into my checking account, and the transaction went through, it now says "WITHDRAWAL MADE IN A BRANCH/STORE" and there is nothing to view!  And it looks like I am out of $100!  I don't even understand why the transaction went through, if they said they closed the account (I can still see my account just fine).  I have to go back into the branch today as soon as they open!


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## Mimi39

My husband was targeted on a check scam a couple of months ago.  A guy called saying that he was from "Nationwide Security" and my husband's checking account information had turned up on the internet and if he verified the code (routing and account#) at the bottom of his checks they would remove the information from the internet.  My husband said he didn't know anything about computers and turned the call over to me.  I told they guy to give me a number to call him back and I'd call and check with our bank.  He said he would need more information before he could give a number to call back.  I said "No way".  He got really agitated and agumentive and I hung up!!!!!!!  Needless to say the bank confirmed that they were not associated with anything called Nationwide Security.  The bank customer service rep said that since we didn't give any info just keep tabs on the account  regularly to make sure the balance was ok, which we do anyway.


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## Talent312

Your bank should replace the $100, once you fill out a statement of fraud.
Thery'll have to have some viewable evidence of the check in the bookeeping
department; something must have been presented for the withdrawal to be made.


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## ada903

I surely hope they have something to document this withdrawal!  They should at least be able to tell at which Wells Fargo branch this happened, and have a withdrawal slip / signature / some documentation.  It is puzzling how the description also changed from "TELLER CASHED CHECK #5416" to "WITHDRAWAL MADE IN A BRANCH/STORE".  What happened to check #5416?


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## DeniseM

I think this is lousy service from your bank - my credit union would have refunded the money the second I brought it to their attention. Have you escalated it to a manager?


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## MommaBear

I have had this happen to my debit card twice, and two separate credit cards. On the occasions that it involved my credit union, they immediately reversed the charges against my account as well as the over draw fees. The two times it happened against my credit card, the fraud detection unit called me to see if I would authorize the charges, so the charges never got past the temporary authorization phase. One of those cards had already authorized two purchases not made by me and they reversed those on the spot. My daughter also had her credit union account hacked, and the credit union was a little less helpful with her (maybe an age thing) until they realized I ws in the next office doing the same thing with the same problem, then they reversed her unauthorized charges.

The takeaway is that the onus should be on the banking instititution to prove to you that they took your money legally, and less on you to prove to them that they did the wrong thing. If you are dissatisfied and do not get resolution with a manager, take your business elsewhere and let the bank president know why.


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## Sea Six

Did you pull your credit report?  There may be an account with your name on it that you are not even aware of.  Someone could have a credit account in your name, charge all kinds of things to it, and never pay more than the minimum balance until the account is maxed out. Then the payments stop coming, and you look like the bad guy.


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## Pat H

Too bad I'm not still working or I would look into it for you. I retired from Wachovia/Wells Fargo where I spent 23 yrs as a Fraud Investigator. I don't know the Wells Fargo system but under Wachovia there has to be a trail. A straight w/d would have a paper withdrawal ticket. If it was a transfer there will be a report that can be accessed showing where the money went.

You are NOT out the $100. Tell the branch you want to file a fraud report. You will probably have to sign an affidavit and then the money will be refunded. On second thought call the Wells Fargo Fraud dept. at 800-869-3557 to make the report instead of calling the branch.

Let me know how you make out.


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## ada903

I just walked out of the bank.  They showed me on the screen the record of what they had - a money order for $100 made out of my account!  Interestingly enough, that same day that this money order happened, I had gone to my local branch and did a cashier's check for $1,403 to QTCI Client Trust - I am closing on a Marriott platinum week and this was the final check.  The bank rep said it is possible the teller made a mistake and used my account to process the transaction for the next customer, which could have been a money order for $100.  I am not understanding how that could be, everyone must slide their card and show their ID! They promised they would find out by the end of the day today what happened.

Thanks all for the info - yes, my credit report is fine, I have actually just pulled an updated report with scores from all three Bureaus this morning!  I wrote down the Wells Fargo fraud department number and if nothing gets resolved by my local branch today, I will call in!


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## Kagehitokiri2

muranojo said:


> I was amazed the credit union didn't notice multiple ATM charges from South America wipe out my checking, then wipe out my line of credit, then finally tap into my savings.


= why overdraft protection is not good

ive had an account that had savings with $5 and checking with $100, that had *$700* overdraft protection, before i turned it off, which required signing a form.


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## Pat H

ada903 said:


> I just walked out of the bank.  They showed me on the screen the record of what they had - a money order for $100 made out of my account!  Interestingly enough, that same day that this money order happened, I had gone to my local branch and did a cashier's check for $1,403 to QTCI Client Trust - I am closing on a Marriott platinum week and this was the final check.  The bank rep said it is possible the teller made a mistake and used my account to process the transaction for the next customer, which could have been a money order for $100.  I am not understanding how that could be, everyone must slide their card and show their ID! They promised they would find out by the end of the day today what happened.
> 
> Thanks all for the info - yes, my credit report is fine, I have actually just pulled an updated report with scores from all three Bureaus this morning!  I wrote down the Wells Fargo fraud department number and if nothing gets resolved by my local branch today, I will call in!



No matter how it happened, you should/will get your money refunded. You may not, however, find out exactly what happened.


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## bogey21

ada903 said:


> The bank rep said it is possible the teller made a mistake and used my account to process the transaction for the next customer, which could have been a money order for $100.  I am not understanding how that could be, everyone must slide their card and show their ID! !



Sounds reasonable to me.  You slide your card; they process your transaction; by mistake access to your account is not closed out; thus your account is still live for next transaction.  If this is the case, they will quickly credit you for the $100.

George


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## pedro47

AnnaS said:


> Keep us posted.
> 
> I have had my cc compromised twice and last year when my son was sent for either random drug testing or physical at work, the hospital he went to said his social showed someone else's name.  We were also advised to contact the three credit companies and also filed a police report.



Ask your son to check with social security to see where employer wages posted against his social security account and with the Division of Motor Vehicle to see if someone is using his SS#.

The most error's with social security number are the last four numbers.


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## ada903

This has been resolved!  COMPLETE TELLER INCOMPETENCE!  Here's the story.  At the end of the day, the teller who did my cashier's check for $1,400 (for my Marriott Platinum Shadow Ridge week  ) is $100 short.  So he is thinking, oh wait, I think I know what happened, that cashier's check I did today was for $1,500 and not $1,400!  So he pulls up my account, without calling me to verify if his recollection was true, and charges me an additional $100!  Well guess what, my check was correct for $1,400 - and his recollection was wrong.  

And here I am, two days later, thinking someone is withdrawing money from my checking account, perhaps having stolen my identity, running around to close my account, open a new one, order at my own cost new checks and a new card, changing my direct deposit at work, and stressing out!

Way to go Wells Fargo...

Thanks all for your support and feedback through this process.  The good news is that nobody stole my personal information.


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## rickandcindy23

I am so relieved for you.  Thanks for keeping us posted.  Our daughter-in-law is a teller manager at Wells Fargo in Colorado, and I asked her at lunch today what she thought about your situation.  She said you would never have to pay for a fraudulent transaction, you would definitely be reimbursed.  

Pat H is great to give you such relevant info.  

I will update our daughter-in-law.  That was stupid of the teller to do.


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## ada903

The assistant manager promised he will take care of it and reimburse the $100.  I faxed them a copy of my receipt for the cashier check which confirms it was $1,403 - the correct amount. 

That teller needs retraining!


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## Passepartout

If I'd been the OP, today would have been my LAST day with Wells Fargo! They took over my little bank here shortly after moving here. Within 6 months they had screwed up several times, so I waltzed my 3 little accounts across town to a handier bank where they know my name and greet me by it whenever I drop by.

My DW, a bankruptcy attorney has had a number of clients with WF mortgages that they can't show a paper trail that WF is even the holder of the Deed of Trust. They seem to have just printed off a bunch of blank papers with signatures, and no indication of what property or loan they belong to, and show up in BK court to claim foreclosure. On property they can't show claim to. Hah!

Happy that so far they seem to have satisfied you. Not sure if it would have gone far enough for me.

Jim Ricks


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## brigechols

ada903 said:


> The assistant manager promised he will take care of it and reimburse the $100.  I faxed them a copy of my receipt for the cashier check which confirms it was $1,403 - the correct amount.
> 
> That teller needs retraining!



The teller should be terminated. They retain copies of the certified check paperwork. The teller could have easily gone through that paperwork if there was a question. He must have violated a gazillion policies pulling up your account and assessing an additional $100 without your authorization.


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## dougp26364

ada903 said:


> The assistant manager promised he will take care of it and reimburse the $100.  I faxed them a copy of my receipt for the cashier check which confirms it was $1,403 - the correct amount.
> 
> That teller needs retraining!



Sorry but, that teller needs to be looking for another job. A bank teller shouldn't have a personality that allows them to just make changes to someones account and still go home and sleep at night. In that position, when their drawer is short, then need to seek assistance from their boss to resolve the deficency. 

At this point it could be that the teller needs retraining or, the teller isn't so hot at theft........yet. If I were a bank manager, this sort of transaction would have to lead the termination. I wouldn't trust that teller as a manager or as a customer.


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## ada903

I know, I am amazed stuff like this happens.  When I went to the bank, the assistant manager was very open with me - it turned out we had some very close common friends and background, and he plainly stated that there are numerous mistakes and incompetence issues occurring on a daily basis.  He even showed me on his computer screen an email from the district manager, with grammar and spelling mistakes.  

I tend to be a very tolerant nature so I did not inquire about punishment of the teller for this - if this was my husband, he would have eaten them alive!


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## DeniseM

The teller should have been fired:  He made an unauthorized transfer out of your Acct. to cover up his own mistake.  That has to break every rule in the book!


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## ada903

I doubt it there will be much punishment for him.  The bank assistant manager said such things happen all too often, it did not seem to come as a surprise to him.  Normally a bank assistant manager would not admit this stuff happens all too often, but we really had some common background that allowed him to feel comfortable to say that to me (and we did speak in a foreign language when he said that, haha).

I should change the title of the thread to read: " Wells Fargo teller cashes out my account in order to balance his transactions for the day".


----------



## bobcat

ada903 said:


> The assistant manager promised he will take care of it and reimburse the $100.  I faxed them a copy of my receipt for the cashier check which confirms it was $1,403 - the correct amount.
> 
> That teller needs retraining!



The teller needs to be shown the door.


----------



## susieq

Passepartout said:


> If I'd been the OP, today would have been my LAST day with Wells Fargo!
> 
> Jim Ricks



My thoughts exactly!!


----------



## ada903

You guys are right to suggest this needs serious punishment!  I guess because I grew up in a communist /dictatorial system where we had no consumer voice, I am not a very strong advocate for my rights when stuff like this happens.  I tend to be happy the problem was fixed but I also don't seek "justice".  Maybe I should.  That's how we keep things accountable in this country, by complaining and asking for consequences for wrongdoings.


----------



## Passepartout

Yet another interesting thought- not that it matters to us.... Who got the extra $100 that the teller's till was short on the day s/he debited the OP's account. Anyone care to make a small unspecified wager on whether that customer will come forward? If I'd come away from the bank with an extra 'C', it'd be finder's keepers.... Jim


----------



## JanT

Adriana,

So glad to hear that you resolved this and that it wasn't someone who had stolen your "identity."  But, that teller should be canned on the spot.  Accessing your account to balance his drawer because he "thought" the check was for $1500?  I'd say he's lying through his teeth on that one and the bank manager should send him packing if for nothing else than the fact that you had to spend so much time and effort closing your account, etc.

Just so happy for you that it wasn't anything worse.


----------



## Pat H

The teller may very well be fired. It's not fair though to blame the "bank". All industries have inept/corrupt employees. I think the measure of any company is how they treat their customers and employees. WF did right by the OP by refunding her money.


----------



## ada903

You are right that every industry and organization has its share of bad employees.  What upset me about this mistake is that it wasn't a typo or hitting the wrong command, which can happen to any of us, it was a conscious decision by this person to balance their mistake on my behalf.. 



Pat H said:


> The teller may very well be fired. It's not fair though to blame the "bank". All industries have inept/corrupt employees. I think the measure of any company is how they treat their customers and employees. WF did right by the OP by refunding her money.


----------



## Pat H

Passepartout said:


> Yet another interesting thought- not that it matters to us.... Who got the extra $100 that the teller's till was short on the day s/he debited the OP's account. Anyone care to make a small unspecified wager on whether that customer will come forward? If I'd come away from the bank with an extra 'C', it'd be finder's keepers.... Jim



Shame on you, Jim. I've returned $10 to a teller and that was even before I worked at a bank.


----------



## pjrose

DeniseM said:


> The teller should have been fired:  He made an unauthorized transfer out of your Acct. to cover up his own mistake.  That has to break every rule in the book!



More than just fired - I think charges should be filed.


----------



## Pat H

ada903 said:


> You are right that every industry and organization has its share of bad employees.  What upset me about this mistake is that it wasn't a typo or hitting the wrong command, which can happen to any of us, it was a conscious decision by this person to balance their mistake on my behalf..



I agree with you wholeheartedly. What I was referring to are the comments some others made about changing banks.


----------



## Pat H

pjrose said:


> More than just fired - I think charges should be filed.



File charges for what? If the story as told is accurate, there is no crime. On the other hand, if the money was put in the teller's pocket, then it's criminal. Another problem is getting local law enforcement to prosecute for such a small amount.

You have no idea how much it's killing me not to be able to look into the matter further. Sometimes I actually miss my job!


----------



## Kagehitokiri2

ada903 said:


> I doubt it there will be much punishment for him.  The bank assistant manager said such things happen all too often



im glad im not at wells fargo.

i guess ill be asking about these kinds of things in the future.


----------



## Elan

Passepartout said:


> Yet another interesting thought- not that it matters to us.... *Who got the extra $100 that the teller's till was short on the day s/he debited the OP's account*.



  The teller's sister?  

  Seriously, I'd be thinking more along the lines of theft/fraud rather than incompetence.


----------



## ada903

Pat, you are funny!  You must have been really good at this!



Pat H said:


> File charges for what? If the story as told is accurate, there is no crime. On the other hand, if the money was put in the teller's pocket, then it's criminal. Another problem is getting local law enforcement to prosecute for such a small amount.
> 
> You have no idea how much it's killing me not to be able to look into the matter further. Sometimes I actually miss my job!


----------



## ada903

I think what happened is the teller made a mistake on another transaction and came out $100 short.   He could not figure out where he made the mistake, so somehow he assumed that my check was for $1,503 and not $1,403, and deducted $100 from my account.  There may be another customer who that day walked out with $100 to his benefit.. 



Elan said:


> The teller's sister?
> 
> Seriously, I'd be thinking more along the lines of theft/fraud rather than incompetence.


----------



## pjrose

Pat H said:


> File charges for what? If the story as told is accurate, there is no crime. On the other hand, if the money was put in the teller's pocket, then it's criminal. Another problem is getting local law enforcement to prosecute for such a small amount.
> 
> You have no idea how much it's killing me not to be able to look into the matter further. Sometimes I actually miss my job!



I don't know.....Banking regulations are pretty strict and I assume that those authorized to handle money in a bank have to follow certain stringent policies, and probably laws.  I was thinking that he bank may have recourse to file charges.  Breech of trust?  You can commit fraud without it benefitting yourself, can't you? Good point re law enforcement, though.


----------



## ada903

I am on the phone with my sister in law who works as a teller at the local credit union and she says the guy should be fired too.


----------



## Egret1986

*As stated, the Bank has copies of the certified checks issued.*



brigechols said:


> The teller should be terminated. They retain copies of the certified check paperwork. The teller could have easily gone through that paperwork if there was a question. He must have violated a gazillion policies pulling up your account and assessing an additional $100 without your authorization.



Simple enough to check and compare.   If on the up-and-up, I think instead of guessing the teller would have checked (especially if he was going to take the money out of your account).  I don't believe it was a mistake or improper training.


----------



## glypnirsgirl

Call me skeptical, but this seems like attempted theft to me. Criminals, in general, are not very smart. 

As a high school student, i worked in a grocery store. One of the new checkers (she didn't last long enough to become an old checker) would open up her cash drawer, take out $5 and go to lunch. Every day for as long as she lasted. 

In the three years that I worked in the grocery store, the most my till was off was $.38. And I always felt like I must have missed putting a coupon in my drawer and then made a $.03 error some where else. I could go weeks without being out of balance AT ALL. And this was in the days when groceries had to be hand keyed and you had to count back change. 

Any way, it sounds to me like the teller thought of a good way to explain his actions and then implemented a scheme to steal the money.

elaine


----------



## ada903

That's what my sister in law thought too, that this cannot be a mistake.  She says the teller would have had a copy of the cashier check and could verify the amount.  He may be making withdrawals from customers' accounts.


----------



## Pat H

pjrose said:


> I don't know.....Banking regulations are pretty strict and I assume that those authorized to handle money in a bank have to follow certain stringent policies, and probably laws.  I was thinking that he bank may have recourse to file charges.  Breech of trust?  You can commit fraud without it benefitting yourself, can't you? Good point re law enforcement, though.



I'm trying to think of any case I ever had where someone committed fraud and didn't benefit. I can't think of a single one. The bank can't "file charges". That has to be done by a law enforcement agency with the approval of the DA. Caveat: I am only referring to PA Law. If the story is as the teller said, then he violated bank policy which is not a criminal offense. I have seen tellers do a lot of stupid things to cover up drawer shortages. Some actually made a mistake which was caught by the proof area but since they had "force proved" or put in their own money (believe it or not), the correction threw them out of balance, so they got caught. If they had only taken the difference they would have been okay. 

Frankly, banks, credit card companies, etc. can't be bothered to investigate small frauds. It costs too much money and time. They take the losses as a cost of doing business. Employees stealing is a completely different matter though and we persued those to the end. Sometimes you just can't solve or prove the case and that is very frustrating.


----------



## pjrose

Thanks for clarifying, Pat!  I guess my initial reaction was wrong, or at least not practical.

We sure have a wide pool of experience on TUG!


----------



## ada903

Yes we do!  I was amazed how much interest and good discussions around identity theft issues this thread generated!



pjrose said:


> We sure have a wide pool of experience on TUG!


----------



## jlr10

I had a friend who got a job at a bank.  While he was still on probation there was a problem with money going missing from some of the drawers.  They knew it was someone in the bank but were having trouble finding the employee.  His drawer ended up $10 short.  They called him in and told him they knew he didn't take the money, and that they still couldn't find who was taking it.  Unfortunately for him, because he was on probation, it was zero tolerence for being out of balance and he was let go.  He was really disapointed because he loved the job, but thought that the bank should maintain those strict standards.


----------



## toby9116

*Theft*



ada903 said:


> I doubt it there will be much punishment for him.  The bank assistant manager said such things happen all too often, it did not seem to come as a surprise to him.  Normally a bank assistant manager would not admit this stuff happens all too often, but we really had some common background that allowed him to feel comfortable to say that to me (and we did speak in a foreign language when he said that, haha).
> 
> I should change the title of the thread to read: " Wells Fargo teller cashes out my account in order to balance his transactions for the day".



The teller accessed account without authorization, which is theft. Because it was caught and rectified does not change the initial willful action. The reaction of the manager of blowing the incident off would have caused me to demand my funds immediately and discontinue business with this institution. This was not an error. This was a deliberate act. The bank must have policies in place to check out teller shortages/overages at the end of the day. By not following policy and then blowing it off as these happen all the time is not acceptable. Change banks now!! 
We should be vigilant because human error will happen. This was not an accident. This was a decision not to follow policy and cover a teller mistake by unauthorized accesses of a customers account.  
.


----------



## isisdave

brigechols said:


> The teller should be terminated. They retain copies of the certified check paperwork. The teller could have easily gone through that paperwork if there was a question. He must have violated a gazillion policies pulling up your account and assessing an additional $100 without your authorization.



In fact, wouldn't he have had to do that to find your account number? or did he write it on the back of his hand?

And what a stupid thing to do, knowing that if he was wrong there was going to be a fraud investigation?  If they don't find the $100 error in another transaction, they're going to think it is in the teller's pocket.


----------



## eal

Absolutely NO doubt in my mind that this was an incident of theft.  If the teller isn't fired you need to find a new bank now.


----------



## ada903

After reading all your thoughts and talking with my sister in law who works in a bank, I am convinced that this needs to be followed up.  You all are right. If at the end of the day he had to look up my account to withdraw $100 and fill out paperwork to do so, then why did he not look at the bank copy of the cashier's check to confirm the correct amount that he "thought" was $1,503 instead of $1,403? This really is intentional theft, whether to cover up a mistake somewhere else or to put it in his pocket!

Thinking of talking to the district manager or someone else higher up the chain!  Oh boy, my local newspaper would love this story.


----------



## K&PFitz

I'm a bank compliance officer.  I don't buy his story at all.  He thought the check was for $1500?  Baloney.  He was out of balance and stole the money from you to cover it up.  In our bank, he'd be fired.


----------



## ada903

Thanks for confirming - I will be following up on this and not let go.  As of this morning, my $100 is still gone and has not been returned to me.



K&PFitz said:


> I'm a bank compliance officer.  I don't buy his story at all.  He thought the check was for $1500?  Baloney.  He was out of balance and stole the money from you to cover it up.  In our bank, he'd be fired.



Does anybody who work in a bank know if Wells Fargo would be able to see at precisely what time of the day the $100 money order occurred? I assume they would be able to see it was done after hours with the public were gone, when the teller was balancing his drawer?


----------



## Pat H

ada903 said:


> Thanks for confirming - I will be following up on this and not let go.  As of this morning, my $100 is still gone and has not been returned to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Does anybody who work in a bank know if Wells Fargo would be able to see at precisely what time of the day the $100 money order occurred? I assume they would be able to see it was done after hours with the public were gone, when the teller was balancing his drawer?



The answer to your question is yes. I would let it go for a few days since you don't know what is going on behind the scenes. If the teller is still there by the middle of next week, then I would do some more complaining. Your credit may have been processed after cutover so that it won't show until tomorrow.

It's just not that cut and dried. HR always makes the bank follow certain protocols before they fire someone. If the teller confesses, that makes it easier. BTW, I don't believe the story as told either.


----------



## ada903

Thanks!  I will wait until next week before following up with the bank assistant manager.  I will post an update!


----------



## Kagehitokiri2

ada903 said:


> The bank assistant manager said such things happen all too often


this statement is the issue...


Pat H said:


> The teller may very well be fired.
> 
> I think the measure of any company is how they treat their customers and employees. WF did right by the OP by refunding her money.


vs


Pat H said:


> If the teller is still there by the middle of next week, then I would do some more complaining.
> 
> I don't believe the story as told either.


...


Pat H said:


> Frankly, banks, credit card companies, etc. can't be bothered to investigate small frauds. It costs too much money and time. They take the losses as a cost of doing business. Employees stealing is a completely different matter though and we persued those to the end. Sometimes you just can't solve or prove the case and that is very frustrating.


>


pjrose said:


> Banking regulations are pretty strict





K&PFitz said:


> I'm a bank compliance officer.  I don't buy his story at all.  He thought the check was for $1500?  Baloney.  He was out of balance and stole the money from you to cover it up.  In our bank, he'd be fired.





ada903 said:


> I am on the phone with my sister in law who works as a teller at the local credit union and she says the guy should be fired too.


----------



## DaveNV

I'm thinking the bank teller needed $100 and felt he had an easy mark who wouldn't notice.  Easy to put it down to adjusting an error, but seems suspiciously like he pocketed the $100 himself.  If OP is as calm as she says about not raising a fuss, who easier to steal $100 from?  If this bank has so much inept performance from their staff, and they excuse a teller who does this sort of thing, it's definitely time to find a new bank.

I knew a guy once (about 1980) who worked in a convenience store.  He earned minimum wage for the work.  But this guy always had a ton of pocket money, and seemed to have a lot more disposable cash than his job would indicate.

I finally got him to tell me what he was up to.  As I remember it, basically when someone gave him exact cash for a sale, he'd take the cash and give them the item.  At sometime after the customer left he'd ring it through the register for five or ten dollars less than the price.  He'd track his deliberate shortages, then at some point he'd pocket the amount he'd accumulated.  By the end of his shift he had a pocket full of cash.  Sneaky bugger.

This went on for a few months, till the management began to notice that his shift never seemed to bring in the same kind of money as the other shifts at the store.  One thing led to another, and the guy quit and left town shortly before the sheriff came around with a warrant for his arrest.  I never did hear whether the guy was arressted or not.

Criminals are all around, and some bank tellers are no exception.   

Dave


----------



## bobcat

ada903 said:


> You guys are right to suggest this needs serious punishment!  I guess because I grew up in a communist /dictatorial system where we had no consumer voice, I am not a very strong advocate for my rights when stuff like this happens.  I tend to be happy the problem was fixed but I also don't seek "justice".  Maybe I should.  That's how we keep things accountable in this country, by complaining and asking for consequences for wrongdoings.



I would go to the local paper and tell them my story. I would also sue the bank.


----------



## Pat H

this statement is the issue...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat H  
The teller may very well be fired.

I think the measure of any company is how they treat their customers and employees. WF did right by the OP by refunding her money. 

vs

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat H  
If the teller is still there by the middle of next week, then I would do some more complaining.

I don't believe the story as told either. Quote

You got me. I guess I did change my tune a little but not really. Trying to explain things here can be difficult. It really shouldn't be up to Ada to persue the punishment of the teller. The branch should be doing that on their own. None of us know the whole story either. We only know what the asst. manager TOLD Ada but not where it has gone from there internally. 

As stupid as it sounds, it would be illegal for anyone in the bank to tell Ada that the teller was fired because he stole money from her account. (Don't shoot the messenger.) However, if the bank went and filed a criminal complaint, the bank can tell the police he was fired and the police can tell Ada. After all who wants to tarnish a thief's reputation?


----------



## Kagehitokiri2

Pat H said:


> You got me. I guess I did change my tune a little but not really. Trying to explain things here can be difficult. It really shouldn't be up to Ada to persue the punishment of the teller. The branch should be doing that on their own. None of us know the whole story either. We only know what the asst. manager TOLD Ada but not where it has gone from there internally.
> 
> As stupid as it sounds, it would be illegal for anyone in the bank to tell Ada that the teller was fired because he stole money from her account. (Don't shoot the messenger.) However, if the bank went and filed a criminal complaint, the bank can tell the police he was fired and the police can tell Ada. After all who wants to tarnish a thief's reputation?



i kind of understand (when responding to others) but i emphasize that the statement from the manager is the issue IMO.

i dont understand some of your "emphasis." (regardless of whether its in response to others.) for example - im not talking about crime/fraud/theft/mistakes/etc. im talking about banking regulations, and the impact of said regulations on bank policy.

going back to statement from assistant manager - so bank employees can just go in and access customer accounts and do anything they want, and you dont care?

because in this instance, its not just about security practices etc, its about banking regulations. violations can result in extremely damaging fines/actions, so obviously those subject to such regulations are extremely concerned with avoiding such violations.


----------



## Pat H

Kagehitokiri2 said:


> i kind of understand (when responding to others) but i emphasize that the statement from the manager is the issue IMO.
> 
> i dont understand some of your "emphasis." (regardless of whether its in response to others.) for example - im not talking about crime/fraud/theft/mistakes/etc. im talking about banking regulations, and the impact of said regulations on bank policy.
> 
> going back to statement from assistant manager - so bank employees can just go in and access customer accounts and do anything *they* want, and you dont care?
> 
> because in this instance, its not just about security practices etc, its about banking regulations. violations can result in extremely damaging fines/actions, so obviously those subject to such regulations are extremely concerned with avoiding such violations.



How in the world would you get the impression that I don't care? And no they can't do anything they want. I feel the teller should be fired whether he took the money or he really thought he was correcting a mistake. What he did is not the way to correct a mistake. Banking regulations don't cover things like tellers making errors. Even the best and most honest tellers make mistakes. Embezzlement is another matter entirely.

The criminals I detested the most were employees who stole, people who victimized the elderly and bank robbers who shoved a gun in a teller's face for a few thousand $.


----------



## Kagehitokiri2

Pat H said:


> How in the world would you get the impression that I don't care? And no they can't do anything they want. I feel the teller should be fired whether he took the money or he really thought he was correcting a mistake. What he did is not the way to correct a mistake. Banking regulations don't cover things like tellers making errors. Even the best and most honest tellers make mistakes. Embezzlement is another matter entirely.
> 
> The criminals I detested the most were employees who stole, people who victimized the elderly and bank robbers who shoved a gun in a teller's face for a few thousand $.



sorry! i had been in the process of editing my post to improve it. one of the things i was going to clarify was that "you" was asst manager.

neither moving money between accounts nor depositing money is "stealing" but i sure as heck dont want bank policy to be that employees are free to do either anytime they want.

not saying THIS kind of thing is a huge deal, but its clearly not something that is ignored.


----------



## ada903

An update! The assistant bank manager called me and said they are formally investigating and that off the record, his opinion is that the teller will be fired. I feel bad for that person, he may have a family to take care of, but it was inevitable. I don't know if the teller is evil and did the wrong thing on purpose or he was extremely dumb and did not rationalize the meaning of his actions.

Thank you all again my sweet tug friends for all the advice!


----------



## Pat H

ada903 said:


> An update! The assistant bank manager called me and said they are formally investigating and that off the record, his opinion is that the teller will be fired. I feel bad for that person, he may have a family to take care of, but it was inevitable. I don't know if the teller is evil and did the wrong thing on purpose or he was extremely dumb and did not rationalize the meaning of his actions.
> 
> Thank you all again my sweet tug friends for all the advice!



No reason to feel bad. The teller did the wrong thing.


----------



## ada903

Thanks for the help on this Pat!  It felt like we were the private investigators on this case 



Pat H said:


> No reason to feel bad. The teller did the wrong thing.


----------



## Kagehitokiri2

ada903 said:


> The assistant bank manager called me and said they are formally investigating and that off the record, his opinion is that the teller will be fired.



much more confidence inspiring.


----------



## learnalot

ada903 said:


> After reading all your thoughts and talking with my sister in law who works in a bank, I am convinced that this needs to be followed up.  You all are right. If at the end of the day he had to look up my account to withdraw $100 and fill out paperwork to do so, then why did he not look at the bank copy of the cashier's check to confirm the correct amount that he "thought" was $1,503 instead of $1,403? This really is intentional theft, whether to cover up a mistake somewhere else or to put it in his pocket!
> 
> Thinking of talking to the district manager or someone else higher up the chain!  Oh boy, my local newspaper would love this story.



I see you are from the Pacific Northwest - I think Ken Schram or Jessie Jones would love your story for their consumer advocacy segments.


----------



## ada903

I seriously pondered over taking this to the media if the bank shoves it under the carpet.  I am told they are taking it seriously and investigating.... And that it is likely the teller would be fired...


----------



## learnalot

ada903 said:


> I seriously pondered over taking this to the media if the bank shoves it under the carpet.  I am told they are taking it seriously and investigating.... And that it is likely the teller would be fired...



After posting my reply, I read further down the thread and saw that you seemed to feel like you were getting more satisfaction.  I'm glad to hear that.


----------



## AnnaS

Wow - I just came to browse and forgot about this.  I posted on # 21, page 1 - page 4 - post # in the 70s and no email notification.  Gotta go back and read the last three pages.


----------



## AnnaS

pedro47 said:


> Ask your son to check with social security to see where employer wages posted against his social security account and with the Division of Motor Vehicle to see if someone is using his SS#.
> 
> The most error's with social security number are the last four numbers.



Yes, I forgot we had also gone to SS office to report this - this was fine also.  It might have been an honest mistake with the numbers.  My sister was recently hospitalized (again she is terminally ill and on a lot of medication) and she could not remember her SS# - the clerk said not to worry but I did not want her to give the wrong info./#.

Thank you.


----------



## AnnaS

I hope they reimburse you the $100 soon and they will.

I worked for almost 6 years many years ago with Chase Manhattan Investigations and every single incident gets reported and a file is opened.  A VP would look at it and see it it needed to remain open and be investigated.  

From what I am reading, this should definitely be one investigated.  Years ago, he would have been brought in and given a polygraph.  An honest mistake is always possible but not sure I buy his story either.


----------



## ada903

Thanks Anna. This was a mistake, but not an honest one!



AnnaS said:


> I hope they reimburse you the $100 soon and they will.
> 
> I worked for almost 6 years many years ago with Chase Manhattan Investigations and every single incident gets reported and a file is opened.  A VP would look at it and see it it needed to remain open and be investigated.
> 
> From what I am reading, this should definitely be one investigated.  Years ago, he would have been brought in and given a polygraph.  An honest mistake is always possible but not sure I buy his story either.


----------



## ace2000

I usually check in on TUG a couple of times a day, and have just skipped over this thread. I've read the whole thing this morning and it's been an interesting read.

I'll tell you another one to be careful of... watch carefully when you write a check for over the amount of purchase at the grocery store. 

I had three incidents over a period of a couple of weeks where the cashier 'forgot' to give me my cash. I had to specifically ask for it each time. Well, another time, I was engaged in conversation with the cashier, and was not thinking about the cash. I walked out of the store without my $20, and realized it late that evening. The next day, I called the store and the manager told me that all of the cash drawers balanced out (I'm sure they did) and there was nothing that could be done. It was only $20... but, still not good.


----------



## ada903

You bet!  I do most of my shopping at Costco, where I never need to check anything, but for smaller items I sometimes stop at Winco's in town.  I can't tell you how many times the cashier has scanned an item twice, I think I had it happen four times in a year.  These days you have to watch your every step, including the bank or grocery store!   



ace2000 said:


> I usually check in on TUG a couple of times a day, and have just skipped over this thread. I've read the whole thing this morning and it's been an interesting read.
> 
> I'll tell you another one to be careful of... watch carefully when you write a check for over the amount of purchase at the grocery store.
> 
> I had three incidents over a period of a couple of weeks where the cashier 'forgot' to give me my cash. I had to specifically ask for it each time. Well, another time, I was engaged in conversation with the cashier, and was not thinking about the cash. I walked out of the store without my $20, and realized it late that evening. The next day, I called the store and the manager told me that all of the cash drawers balanced out (I'm sure they did) and there was nothing that could be done. It was only $20... but, still not good.


----------



## MuranoJo

Mentioned this thread to my Sis today, and she told me the story of how she deposited $500 in cash one day via drive-through, was in a rush and didn't check the receipt until about 5 miles from the bank.  When she did check it, she realized her receipt said she had only deposited $400.--of course she spun around and went back to the bank (inside this time).  Since it was cash, they had to go through the register as she waited, but finally found she was right.

Always pays to be diligent about checking those receipts--something I need to do a better job at myself.


----------



## Kona Lovers

pkfox said:


> The teller accessed account without authorization, which is theft. Because it was caught and rectified does not change the initial willful action. The reaction of the manager of blowing the incident off would have caused me to demand my funds immediately and discontinue business with this institution. This was not an error. This was a deliberate act. The bank must have policies in place to check out teller shortages/overages at the end of the day. By not following policy and then blowing it off as these happen all the time is not acceptable. Change banks now!!
> We should be vigilant because human error will happen. This was not an accident. This was a decision not to follow policy and cover a teller mistake by unauthorized accesses of a customers account.
> .



Probably a case of the teller being the manager's relative or in-law or such.


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## Jennie

*A bit off topic but...*

When I was a starving college student, working two jobs to survive, I had a checking account at a small local bank. This was over 40 years ago when my rent was $38. a month. 

I received my monthly statement by mail and it showed a deposit of over $700. which I definitely did not make. (That would be worth thousands in today's money). I was too busy to go to the bank in person and twice when I called, I was put on a long hold. I figured they would catch the error anyhow.

But month after month, the statements showed that the money was still there. My best friend dared me to go in person and "just see" if I would be able to withdraw it. I had about $50. of my own money in in the account so I asked the teller if I could withdraw $60.. I was surprised when she said that there was no limit on the amount I could withdraw, I could take everything out but that would result in the closing of the account. Well, I walked out with nothing, and owed my friend $5.00 because she bet that I could take it, and I was sure I couldn't (or might be arrested if I tried).

Subsequently I was tempted but I was really too honest to take any of the money. But I left it there "just in case something catastrophic happened" and I really, really needed the money. I kept expecting the bank to find the error. 

Two years later I wanted to get this off my conscience (and out of the reach of temptation) but I felt it was "too late" to report the error. And maybe I  violated some law by not doing it when it happened.  So I just withdrew my own part of the money and never did any further business there. When the statements kept coming, I finally took one of them and wrote: "moved, left no forwarding address" and dropped it in a street corner mailbox. 

Many years later, I saw my name on the state's list of unclaimed funds. Sure enough, the bank's name was listed with $700. due to me. (It was a non interest account). I eventually claimed the money and donated it to charity.  

What a long way the banks have come from the way they operated in those days.


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## ada903

Jennie,

Thanks for honestly sharing your story - in most cases, the mistakes are not in the consumer's favor  



Jennie said:


> When I was a starving college student, working two jobs to survive, I had a checking account at a small local bank. This was over 40 years ago when my rent was $38. a month.
> 
> I received my monthly statement by mail and it showed a deposit of over $700. which I definitely did not make. (That would be worth thousands in today's money). I was too busy to go to the bank in person and twice when I called, I was put on a long hold. I figured they would catch the error anyhow.
> 
> But month after month, the statements showed that the money was still there. My best friend dared me to go in person and "just see" if I would be able to withdraw it. I had about $50. of my own money in in the account so I asked the teller if I could withdraw $60.. I was surprised when she said that there was no limit on the amount I could withdraw, I could take everything out but that would result in the closing of the account. Well, I walked out with nothing, and owed my friend $5.00 because she bet that I could take it, and I was sure I couldn't (or might be arrested if I tried).
> 
> Subsequently I was tempted but I was really too honest to take any of the money. But I left it there "just in case something catastrophic happened" and I really, really needed the money. I kept expecting the bank to find the error.
> 
> Two years later I wanted to get this off my conscience (and out of the reach of temptation) but I felt it was "too late" to report the error. And maybe I  violated some law by not doing it when it happened.  So I just withdrew my own part of the money and never did any further business there. When the statements kept coming, I finally took one of them and wrote: "moved, left no forwarding address" and dropped it in a street corner mailbox.
> 
> Many years later, I saw my name on the state's list of unclaimed funds. Sure enough, the bank's name was listed with $700. due to me. (It was a non interest account). I eventually claimed the money and donated it to charity.
> 
> What a long way the banks have come from the way they operated in those days.


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## Kona Lovers

Jennie said:


> When I was a starving college student, working two jobs to survive, I had a checking account at a small local bank. This was over 40 years ago when my rent was $38. a month.
> 
> I received my monthly statement by mail and it showed a deposit of over $700. which I definitely did not make. (That would be worth thousands in today's money). I was too busy to go to the bank in person and twice when I called, I was put on a long hold. I figured they would catch the error anyhow.
> 
> But month after month, the statements showed that the money was still there. My best friend dared me to go in person and "just see" if I would be able to withdraw it. I had about $50. of my own money in in the account so I asked the teller if I could withdraw $60.. I was surprised when she said that there was no limit on the amount I could withdraw, I could take everything out but that would result in the closing of the account. Well, I walked out with nothing, and owed my friend $5.00 because she bet that I could take it, and I was sure I couldn't (or might be arrested if I tried).
> 
> Subsequently I was tempted but I was really too honest to take any of the money. But I left it there "just in case something catastrophic happened" and I really, really needed the money. I kept expecting the bank to find the error.
> 
> Two years later I wanted to get this off my conscience (and out of the reach of temptation) but I felt it was "too late" to report the error. And maybe I  violated some law by not doing it when it happened.  So I just withdrew my own part of the money and never did any further business there. When the statements kept coming, I finally took one of them and wrote: "moved, left no forwarding address" and dropped it in a street corner mailbox.
> 
> Many years later, I saw my name on the state's list of unclaimed funds. Sure enough, the bank's name was listed with $700. due to me. (It was a non interest account). I eventually claimed the money and donated it to charity.
> 
> What a long way the banks have come from the way they operated in those days.



A similar thing happened to my parents with a small, local bank where they used to live, and when they moved and went to close the account because of relocation (this bank didn't have any branches where they moved), they kept telling the bank they didn't have the amount the bank said they did, and it was like the bank wouldn't let them leave without taking the extra money.  Nothing ever came of it, either.  That was about 16 years ago.

Marty


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## pjrose

Jennie said:


> When I was a starving college student, working two jobs to survive, I had a checking account at a small local bank. This was over 40 years ago when my rent was $38. a month.
> 
> I received my monthly statement by mail and it showed a deposit of over $700. which I definitely did not make. . . .



Meanwhile, somebody was probably complaining about their missing $700.  

I worked in the billing dept of a huge insurance company, before accounts were computerized.  Each customer's account - charges and payments - was detailed on a card, filed in alphabetical order with little colored clips for what month they were to be billed.  A few extra cards listed payments that had somehow been unidentified.  I got a letter from a customer asking why we kept billing him $xxx and saying he had paid $xxx on such-and-such a date.  $xxx was listed on one of the unidentified cards, paid on roughly the same date.  It was obviously his payment, that hadn't been correctly posted to his account.

I asked my supervisor for stationary to write him and also asked how to correct the error.  I was told that we couldn't do that, it wasn't our job.  Whose was it, then?  Who should we notify?  I don't recall her answer, but I do remember that NOTHING was done to fix the error on this person's account - the nameless card with a payment of $xxx sat in the drawer, and the customer's account continued to show an outstanding balance of $xxx.  

I was only there for a one-semester college "work study" type program, so left soon thereafter, keeping with me that memory of the workings of some bureaucracies.


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## Talent312

*A Bank Error in My Favor...*

Back in the days when my paycheck was issued on paper, I'd walk across the street to deposit it at a bank branch. Once, after depositing it to checking, I told the teller that I meant to put it in savings. He said no problem, I'll just transfer it.

I looked at the receipts while walking out and saw that, when doing the transfer, he had mistakenly credited both checking and savings with the amount, so now I had 3x my paycheck, twice in checking and once in savings.

Needless to say, I went back in and suggested a correction.


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