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

[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!

 

[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!

 

[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]

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]

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..

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!

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..

The teller's sister?

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

 

[pjrose]

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.

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]

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!