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  • Thieving son

    So, this early twenty-something year old comes in to deposit a check on his account that is written off of his dad's account, which is also at our bank. Well, the check is particularly large, though there is plenty of money in the father's account to cover it. However, the teller he comes up to recognizes him because earlier that same day he'd come in to deposit a smaller check from his father... and she's pretty sure he was in a few days ago as well for the same thing. She checks the signature on the check and it looks good, but it still feels off to her, so she checks with a manager.

    Manager says put the funds on hold for the two checks today (previous ones have been spent) and we'll call up the father for a confirmation. Touch risky, because the son has left and if he gets a fee because we put a good check on hold without notification, we have to refund (even if it's not our fee). Plus bad customer service.

    But they do manage to get in touch with the father and explain that they had the funds put on hold for security and just wanted to make certain all was right and well with the world.

    Well, it is NOT all right and well. Father informs us that he has not written ANY checks to his son.

    Research time!

    Turns out, son took a number of random checks out of daddy's checkbook and has been forging the signature rather well to gain himself some extra cash. Well, the current check deposit we can, and do, void. But this has apparently been going on for well over a month without being noticed, and the other money is long, long gone.

    And here comes the customer rant.

    Because daddy wants his money back. Understandable. I'd be pissed myself. But the bank isn't going to just GIVE him the money. Only thing we can do is void the deposits for the two checks that day that hadn't already been spent. It's fraud, that seems clear, but he knows exactly who stole the checks and the money. And that means, in order for us to recover his losses, he MUST file charges.

    And darling son has gotten away with enough money over the past month for that offense to be a felony.

    Daddy doesn't want to file charges against his own son. That's fine. Such is your choice. But then you don't get the charges refunded.

    No, it doesn't matter that we know, now, that you didn't write the checks. If you don't prosecute, you are officially gifting your son that money after the fact. Work it out with him to try to get it back, cause the bank ain't doing it for you.

    Let me repeat. NO. We are NOT going to simply give you back that money. You must do a fraud dispute, and one of the REQUIRED elements to that dispute, when you know the culprit, is to contact the police, file a police report and FILE CHARGES. Your son has committed fraud against you. Prosecute, and we return the money and pull the son's account negative by an amount that will likely never be recovered and the bank will take the loss. Do not prosecute, and it is no longer our concern. (Except we can refuse to do business with your son anymore. And good luck at the same thing being caught if your son opens an account elsewhere to cash your checks.)

    I mean, I feel bad for the guy, but he yelled at my manager for close to an hour over this. And it was awesome assistant manager too, so I ended up feeling for her a whole lot more than him by the end of it.
    Last edited by bankworking; 12-01-2011, 08:20 PM.

  • #2
    Sorry dad, either you turn your son in and he's a felon, or you make your son pay it back, in house. It sucks, but it wasn't the bank stealing the money! Dad should have kept better track of his checks, too.

    If that were my kid, he'd be beyond grounded. He'd be mowing my lawn , scrubbing my toilets, and cleaning my gutters until he paid off the debt or until the day he died, whichever came first. (Presuming he was still living at home...otherwise he'd just owe me cash!)
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

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    • #3
      How old is the kid? (scrolls back and checks) Ah, early twenties, certainly old enough to know better and to be held responsible for his criminal wrongdoings. So yeah, Daddy Dearest, time to punish the kiddo. Either let the legal system do it or do so yourself (bhskittykatt's got some good suggestions).

      HOWEVER! It is not the bank's fault. They did not know the checks weren't legit, and they did you a favor alerting you about it. They also told you how to fix it. Do NOT punish the bank, nor drag them into your mess. And for heaven's sake, keep better track of your checkbook!
      I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
      My LiveJournal
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      • #4
        The way the dad got so mad at the bank it almost seems like he was in on it. A lot of banks advertise that members are 100% protected against fraud, but don't mention the fact that you have to press charges in a case like this. Maybe he thought he could write his son checks, have the son cash them, and then still get the money back from the bank by saying it was fraud? Or maybe he is just a dumbass that doesn't believe in punishing his kids. Idk.

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        • #5
          Yeah, family fraud sucks. But the SC's never look at it from the bank's view... if Father and Son are running a scam, what stops sonny from "fraudulently" cashing a huge check and living happily ever after with it if the bank has to eat the loss while sonny "gets off" scot free?

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          • #6
            How did the Dad NOT notice these random checks appearing on his account that he didnt write? Especially in the day of online banking, I check my account almost every single day, and recently caught someone fraudulently debiting my account (somehow they had caught and stolen my card information) the morning they tried it. By Noon I had the card cancelled and a new one on the way to me.

            People HAVE to keep a close eye on their money. Cause someone else certainly is.

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            • #7
              I feel for the dad, I do. My dad did something similar using my brother's credit card. Dad is perpetually in a state of no cash and the credit card company conveniently mailed brother's new credit card to his permanent address so... Dad used it to pay some delinquent bills and get groceries, but still a crime and still almost a grand of charges once bro found out.

              I don't get it though. A credit card you never use I would understand, but how don't you notice sums of money being withdrawn from your bank account?
              A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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              • #8
                Well, there was money to cover the amounts the checks were written for. It may be an 'emergency' account that they never use. Dunno, that's the only think I can think of for not keeping a better eye on it.

                I had some family accidentally charge something to my account instead of theirs. I ended up going almost $500 overdrawn because of it. The bank said they could get the money back, drop fees, whatever if I pressed charges. I couldn't because the bill they were paying was one of mine, they were trying to help me out and are completely incompetent. So, went from helping to making the problem 5 times worse and refusing to help me fix it. I caught the problem in less than an hour.
                "I'm starting to see a pattern in the men I date" - Miss Piggy, Muppet Treasure Island

                I'm writing!! Check out the blog.

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                • #9
                  The father is in a tough position. Either he forces his dead-beat son to pay back the money (which probably won't happen - if the son is willing to steal from his father he's sure as shit not going to pay it back) OR he ruins his son's life by having him charged with felony theft.

                  As for me, I'm a very vindictive person. I'd file charges the moment I had proof of the shenanigans. Enjoy your felony, asshole.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth notlovinit View Post
                    The way the dad got so mad at the bank it almost seems like he was in on it. A lot of banks advertise that members are 100% protected against fraud, but don't mention the fact that you have to press charges in a case like this. Maybe he thought he could write his son checks, have the son cash them, and then still get the money back from the bank by saying it was fraud? Or maybe he is just a dumbass that doesn't believe in punishing his kids. Idk.
                    I doubt dad was in on it. I think Dad's in denial.

                    It's only a matter of time before this kid graduates to pulling this crap on someone who WILL press charges, like an employer. Dad's not doing his kid a favor; if HE presses charges he can then negotiate with the DA for the son to plead it down to a misdemeanor and he can STILL get his money back, and kid learns valuable lesson.
                    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Panacea View Post
                      It's only a matter of time before this kid graduates to pulling this crap on someone who WILL press charges, like an employer.
                      ...and daddy will defend his precious son every step of the way.
                      Fiancee: We're going to need to do laundry. I'm out of clean pants.
                      Me: Sounds like a job for Gravekeeper!
                      Fiancee: What?!
                      Me: Nevermind.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth thehuckster View Post
                        ...and daddy will defend his precious son every step of the way.
                        I can see it now..

                        "Your Honor, my Son HAD to steal from them, they weren't paying him what he's worth! And you're going to LET them do that to him?"
                        - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

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                        • #13
                          ... the pension fund was just sitting there ...
                          I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
                          Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
                          Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

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                          • #14
                            "That money was just resting in my account!" </Father Ted>
                            "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                            "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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                            • #15
                              Quoth Panacea View Post
                              I doubt dad was in on it. I think Dad's in denial.

                              It's only a matter of time before this kid graduates to pulling this crap on someone who WILL press charges, like an employer. Dad's not doing his kid a favor; if HE presses charges he can then negotiate with the DA for the son to plead it down to a misdemeanor and he can STILL get his money back, and kid learns valuable lesson.
                              that's what i'm thinking.

                              it's hard to put your own kin in jail even if they deserve it. guy on one of my other message boards had to make that decision after he saw his brother on the news as an unidentified robbery suspect (security footage). He ended up choosing to make the call and his brother went to jail. Even though the family understood and primarily agreed with his actions... it wasn't easy for him to do.


                              Still if the dad in the original story wants his money back he's going to have to admit where it went to... and that he cannot trust his own blood to not stab him in the back. And this is going to be a very hard lesson to learn about who his son really is.

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