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Being Fingerprinted Cashing A Check

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by dragon7, Feb 21, 2013.

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  1. dragon7

    dragon7 Tourist

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    A customer of mine asked if he could write a corporate check today. I normally don't take checks anymore but reluctantly agreed(for anyone that has gotten that bounced check letter from your bank you know the feeling).
    It was for a decent amount so I had him make the check out to cash, thinking I could just go to his bank and cash it, not having to wait a week to find out if the thing was going to bounce or not.

    I get there and the teller gets my id, types a bunch on the computer and then calls the customer directly. O.k., wasn't expecting that but whatever. Customer tells him that he wrote the check for cash and tells him what it was for. The teller then goes on to ask him about me and if indeed I'm the person standing in front of him. Seriously? After all that the teller slides an inkpad in front of me and tells me I need to put my thumbprint on the check. Needless to say I wasn't very happy but wasn't about to grab my check and storm out of there.

    Here I am a small business owner who's trying to protect himself from criminals who have no problem passing bad checks and I'm basically being treated like the person I was trying to avoid in the first place!

    I always saw those inkpads at Vegas cashier windows and wondered how they were used. Do they fingerprint anyone who cashes a check? Anyone have this happen to them? If so, what are your thoughts? Were you o.k. with providing this?
     
  2. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    some banks are easier about it and some make life more difficult, but yes, you always have to put your thumbprint on the check. but you don't have to make him write it out to cash, you can do it if he writes it to you personally as well. that's probably much easier because the teller isn't suspicious about a check made out to cash.

    I did this one time at Suntrust and I basically just walked in, showed my ID, put my thumbprint on the check and walked out with the cash. however, I did this recently at Wells Fargo and they made me jump through hoops. they had to make a bunch of calls and it took about 20 minutes. they even said they normally charge $5 for this "service" but they would waive it for me.
     
  3. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    Yeah they do this. In fact its not just banks. Even the higher end lounges and clubs here in NY also do it sometimes when someone is really drunk and charges up a several thousand dollar tab. A friend of my brother's told us he had to give his thumb print for a huge tab he racked up at a strip club in Vegas once as well. I guess they've dealt with people trying to claim their cards were stolen or something after they sobered up.
     
  4. dragon7

    dragon7 Tourist

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    The last time I did this I had the customer make the check out to me. The bank flat out refused to cash it since I didn't have an account with them. Told me to go to my bank and deposit it.

    Another customer of mine told me once that he always has his clients write a check for cash for two reasons. The first was that the bank HAD to cash the check if there was money in the account and the second was that a stop payment can't be issued to a check written out to cash. Either way it's still a hassle. At least it didn't bounce.:)
     
  5. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Yea, banks have had those fingerprint things for years now. Normal practice for those people that write checks and cash them. I am sure I probably have done it, but I can not remember actually cashing a checking for 10+ years.

    For a few years, we actually mailed in deposits. Now we sometimes do deposits via our iphone.
     
  6. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    You might be watchin' too much Fox News there cowboy to think that being a small business owner gets you some "special" standing at a bank that's not yours'... and what's up with labeling your customers, as "criminals who have no problem passing bad checks?"

    Back to the point though, I don't think the bank did anything out of the ordinary in it's dealing with you.
     
  7. mikeinctown

    mikeinctown High-Roller

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    Normal practice. And look at it this way.. Would you want some bank just handing someone money from your account without any protections whatsoever?
     
  8. dragon7

    dragon7 Tourist

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    Cowboy?:rolleyes2: I guess you never had to deal with a large check or two not clearing. Once you do I guarantee the first thing you are going to think of when someone pulls out a checkbook is whether or not it's going to clear.

    As far as some special standing, I don't really get your point? What special standing was I looking for? The bank already verified everything directly with the customer then pulled the whole thumbprint thing after the verification.

    I personally feel it was an invasion of privacy, especially since everything was already verified. What if I were to scan every customer's i.d. and get their thumbprint before they left? I could say it's in case there is an issue with the cc or check payment. You would really be o.k. with that?
     
  9. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    I am not sure why you think you are the only one entitled to a feeling of security in this transaction...

    If you read your whole post again, basically what you are saying is: "it was my decision to take this check in the first place, but just in case it is bad I want the bank to be stuck with it and not me"

    If you asked the bank cashier what they are doing or why they are doing it their reply might have been the same quote you gave above, albeit slight changed to:

     
  10. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    I'd have no problem whatsoever

    Seriously if we were strangers ,I wasnt a steady customer in good standing,I know you have to protect yourself.
    One thing that people dont always realize is that checking accts today have debit cards,direct deposit auto bill pay and all kinds of things like your paycheck wasnt deposited on time or you just got confused and wrote a check without the funds available not really meaning to defraud anyone.
    Of course,this then becomes your problem when the check bounces and you go chase someone so you need to know at least who to chase and where to find them.Make some sense?
     
  11. dragon7

    dragon7 Tourist

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    What are you talking about? This makes no sense at all. How was I entitled to a feeling of security? If the check was bad the bank isn't going to be stuck with anything. They are going to tell me right then and there that either the account doesn't have the funds or doesn't exist.

    The bank's sole purpose of doing this is to try and protect themselves after the fact if the checks were stolen or unauthorized. They had the customer right there on the phone saying that he wrote the check telling them the check number, amount etc...
     
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