But you drove through the drive thru...

Ghel · #1 05-04-2012, 02:43 PM

The drive-thru at my bank opens an hour earlier than the lobby. During that time, a man came though the drive to cash a check. The teller explained that, since he didn't have an account with us any more, we couldn't cash the check. But if he wanted to open a new account, we could.

This was during our Friday morning meeting, so we all saw this customer come though. The branch manager mentioned that we had had trouble with his account before he closed it. The teller who helped him said that she didn't think he had a driver's license.

So he comes to my desk after the lobby opens, and I explain that since he no longer has an account with us, we have to treat him as a new customer. I need two forms of ID, and one has to be a photo ID. I also explain that we pull credit reports for all new customers. He pats his pockets and says he doesn't have his ID with him. He gets up and leaves before I can say anything else. I figure he won't be back.

But he does come back, after only a few minutes. He has a state ID (clearly marked "NOT A DRIVER'S LICENSE") and his birth certificate. I explain the process of pulling his credit report and tell him that there will be a 9-day hold on the funds, since he's a new customer. "Well! Forget that!" He grabs his ID and storms out the door.

FOLLOW UP: He must have gone out for coffee and complained to a buddy, because less than half an hour later, one of our local retired fellows brings the check down to the bank and deposits it into his checking account, then withdraws the same amount of funds to give not-a-drivers-license guy. The teller explains that, if the check is returned for any reason, we'll have to take the funds back out of his checking account. IOW, he's taking the liability instead of the bank.

taxguykarl · #2 05-04-2012, 04:04 PM

Was the check drawn on an account in your bank? Do you sense a scammer?

BroSCFischer · #3 05-04-2012, 04:48 PM

I think Ghel was more concerned with the fact that the guy DROVE through the Drive-Thru, but only had a State Issued Non-Driver's ID.

At least that's the impression I got from her title.

SC

Heksubah · #4 05-04-2012, 05:04 PM

Maybe he just didn't have it on him or was reluctant to use it. It is definitely fishy, but FWIW I have a non-driver's license and a driver's license. The non-driver's license is official government ID so that I have two picture IDs at all times. It's handy for any place that requires such. In Missouri it doesn't mean that I can't drive because I have it, it's just another form of ID and they title it as such so that people can't pass it off as a driver's ID. It's red/pinkish instead of blue but looks like a driver's license otherwise.

Dreamstalker · #5 05-04-2012, 05:38 PM

There's a small bank branch in Arlington VA that only has drive-up lanes, so you get cars and cyclists dodging pedestrians all of whom have a right/excuse to be there. Why they don't make one of the 3 lanes a 'pedestrian only' one I don't know.

Food Lady · #6 05-04-2012, 05:41 PM

Why didn't he just go to a Wallyworld or some such? They only charge a small fee to cash a check. (Well, I think they still do that). I mean, paying the fee is better than waiting 9 days. I smell a scam.

taxguykarl · #7 05-04-2012, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Quoth Food Lady

Why didn't he just go to a Wallyworld or some such? They only charge a small fee to cash a check.

At my local one $6 at most.

Teskeria · #8 05-04-2012, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Quoth Heksubah

Maybe he just didn't have it on him or was reluctant to use it. It is definitely fishy, but FWIW I have a non-driver's license and a driver's license. The non-driver's license is official government ID so that I have two picture IDs at all times. It's handy for any place that requires such. In Missouri it doesn't mean that I can't drive because I have it, it's just another form of ID and they title it as such so that people can't pass it off as a driver's ID. It's red/pinkish instead of blue but looks like a driver's license otherwise.

Interesting. In a lot of states you are legally only able to have one or the other. If you get the other type, they require you to hand in the previous one.

Ghel · #9 05-04-2012, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Quoth taxguykarl

Was the check drawn on an account in your bank? Do you sense a scammer?

It was a payroll check drawn on another bank. I didn't recognize the name of the employer. I doubt it was a scam, but I have no way of knowing. About the only thing we'll cash for non-customers is social security checks.

It does make me wonder, though, if this is a new employer or if he's been cashing these checks elsewhere until now. If the latter, I wonder why he's not cashing them there now. It's likely that he had an account at one of the other local banks or credit unions and that they closed his accounts due to overdrafts, like we did.

Quote:

Quoth BroSCFischer

I think Ghel was more concerned with the fact that the guy DROVE through the Drive-Thru, but only had a State Issued Non-Driver's ID.

That was a big part of it. We actually get a lot of people going through the drive-thru that don't have valid driver's licenses. It's kind of scary.

Plus that he came into the bank to open an account without any ID at all. I thought everybody knew that you had to have ID to open a bank account.

Quote:

Quoth Food Lady

Why didn't he just go to a Wallyworld or some such? They only charge a small fee to cash a check. (Well, I think they still do that). I mean, paying the fee is better than waiting 9 days. I smell a scam.

Besides the fee, it's almost an hour drive to the closest Wallyworld. There's about a dozen banks between here and there, but I don't think any of them will cash checks for non-customers. Considering the problems we had with him before, I'd be surprised if he had an account anywhere.