No Suck Just Odd

[Anakah]

This lady was just odd... She came up with a third party check. Her mom wrote her a check for fifty dollars.

OC: Odd customer

OC: Will you be able to cash this?

Me: Unfortunately no... It's a third party check.

I then notice she is hold like three credit cards.

OC: Well, these cards are linked to this account, does that help?

Me: Not really...

OC: I have a credit card just not with me can you still give me money? Is there a machine where I can just put the numbers in and get cash? What about those machines with the phone?

Me: All ATMs require that you have the card... Sorry about that.

I was wondering why she didn't want to use the cards she physically had in her hand. I suggested she go to an all check cashing place. That and does it occur to her if we could just give you cash while knowing the numbers that fraud would go way up?

It's like those people who tell me they want to write a check but didn't bring one. Or I wrote one yesterday can you just use that check? You mean the one we already deposited? No. They can buy back their checks though. As long as we haven't dropped them yet.

My favorite: Do you take post dated checks?

No... That means you have no money and want a loan. We will not hold onto your check until you put money in your account.

[Rapscallion]

Not sure about the law in the US, but in the UK it's illegal to write a cheque without having funds to cover it, so the last part if proved would be very dubious over here. How's it over there?

Rapscallion

[thansal]

If your check bounces you get hit with a fine, and I assume that if you intentionally write a bad check you would fall under fraud/theft of services/theft/whatever, anyone have a proper answer? I'm now curious :P

[Raveni]

In the US, if you write a check, and know that it will bounce, it is illegal. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to claim that you thought that you would get money in the account in time before the check was cashed.

The reason she didn't use the cards is because there was no money in the account, and she was hoping that the check would have a chance of going through anyway.

[taxguykarl]

The reason she didn't use the cards is because there was no money in the account, and she was hoping that the check would have a chance of going through anyway.

I think Raveni's right about this one. Something in the OP fails the smell test.

[PepperElf]

i think you're right
which may be why she took the check to a store instead of a bank

[Sapphire Silk]

In the US, if you write a check, and know that it will bounce, it is illegal. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to claim that you thought that you would get money in the account in time before the check was cashed.

The reason she didn't use the cards is because there was no money in the account, and she was hoping that the check would have a chance of going through anyway.

Right. If it's just one check, and overdrawn by a small amount, then it's reasonable to believe the customer made a mistake, not a criminal act.

Usually DAs go after the ones who write checks on closed accounts, someone else's account, or if the amount drawn is really egregious and they can reasonable infer you should have known you can't cover it.

But technically, the store can press charges on any returned check. Usually they send it to a collections company that only presses charges if the check writer doesn't pay up.

This girl was scamming big time.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I think one problem with old people writing checks when they don't enough money in the account to cover them is the concept of "float". It used to take several days for the check to make its way through the system, from the store to the store's bank, then to the customer's bank to get cashed. This "float" allowed people a few days to get the money into the bank, maybe from a paycheck.

Today checks are processed electronically and the funds are withdrawn from the checking account almost instantly, thus eliminating float. The same is true of debit cards. Credit cards, on the other hand, still have a "float" of sorts since the funds are not withdrawn from an account until the credit card bill is paid.

I think a lot of the old people having the check problems don't realize the "float" system has changed.

[Anakah]

Oh man, we have like 30k in returned checks. They send the people's file to the DA but nothing ever happens that I've noticed. Usually every year they get written off. I don't know what happens to the person but I'm sure their credit is ruined.

[taxguykarl]

Today checks are processed electronically and the funds are withdrawn from the checking account almost instantly, thus eliminating float. The same is true of debit cards. Credit cards, on the other hand, still have a "float" of sorts since the funds are not withdrawn from an account until the credit card bill is paid.

I think a lot of the old people having the check problems don't realize the "float" system has changed.

More like eliminated. I have a steady who is a clinic business manager. She tells me that at her office the checks are scanned and the funds are debited immediately--and yes she gets patients who are genuinely surprised.

[Rapscallion]

and yes she gets patients who are genuinely surprised.

How many are financially embarrassed?

Rapscallion

[taxguykarl]

How many are financially embarrassed?

Rapscallion

We probably don't want to know