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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
   
Location: North Dakota | What a story for a Monday!
Last night I had sold something on our local online selling place. Basically this website is like a Craigslist, but no one around here uses Craigslist (for the most part). We use a website called BisMan up here. I've sold tons of stuff on there. It's been great to get rid of stuff I don't need, now that we moved into our new house.
I sold a cable router that I couldn't use anymore because we now have satelite internet at our new house. Two high-school looking kids came and got it last night for $50. Actually .... $49. He was a dollar short and asked if that was okay. I was like, whatever, that's fine. He gave me two twenties, one five, and four ones.
Went to the bank drive-through during my lunch today to deposit my paycheck, a money order (for some no-bow wraps I also sold on BisMan), $40 from the two kids last night, and $20 of my own I had in my purse that I didn't need. I bet I sat there in the drive-through for at least 10 minutes. She told me her computer was being slow, which sounded weird to me, because I've never had a deposit take that long.
I was actually thinking in my mind, as I was sitting there waiting, what if that money order I got is fake? Maybe that's what she is checking on.
But I figured it all must have been fine because she gave me my card back and my receipt and I went on my way.
Just as I turned onto the street to go back to work, there is a COP behind me with his LIGHTS ON. 
I'm thinking, wth? I used my blinker. I stopped properly. I didn't cut anyone off. I can't imagine what he has pulled me over for. 
He walks up to my window, asks for my driver's license, and then asks me if I was just at the bank. I said yes. He said that two of the twenty dollar bills I deposited were fake. So of course, the teller's computer wasn't running slow, she was just making me sit there until she could get a cop to nab me when I left!!!
So I proceeded to tell the officer that I sold this router on BisMan last night to these two kids and he gave me these two twenties to pay for it. And the kid (never got his name) had texted me several times to get directions and whatnot. So I gave the cop the phone number. And he took down what information he needed.
I had to go back to the bank, escorted by the police officer, to clear everything up with the bank. Which was a little embarassing, to be quite honest. The teller came out with the 2 fake $20's and then my real $20 and she said she knew they were fake because the paper was "waxy" and they were missing one of the water marks. Honest to God, even if I had looked closely at the money myself, I would have no idea it was fake. There's too many water marks now for the average person to know what is supposed to be there and what is not.
I'm sure the bank has policies they have to follow, but I've been a customer there for YEARS. If they simply would have asked me to come in because the two twenties were fake, I would have had no problem doing so. Rather, they try to scare the crap out of me by setting a cop on me when I leave!!!!!
I'll be listed as a victim on the claim, since they have to turn everything into the government and whatnot. And I've got the officer's business card and the detective will be giving me a follow up call. I would love it if they can catch these twerps.
Anyway, with the locals around here, I would hope that BisMan would still be a honest way to get rid of some stuff you don't want. And maybe those kids didn't know they were fake either, but geez. A little bit ****ed that I am now out $40, which of course isn't a lot of money, but I was very happy to have it. I have lots of bills with this new house.
But anyway, there's your story for Monday.
Watch your cash!
Edited by r_beau 2014-01-22 12:29 PM
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | Hubby and I love Bisman! We just test drove a truck on Saturday that we found on there and we have sold equipment on the site as well. :) That really sucks about your ordeal....having to go thru that and then be out $40! I hope they catch who is to blame for it all. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Likely excuse... |
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 Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | We have a cousin that is hard up for money, but she refuses to take money from people... so my mom, my sister, and I all had our hair done by her and we paid her. We all paid with 20's and one of them was fake. She had no idea (we had no idea) anything was wrong with them. Trying to get gas at a convenience store is where she got "caught". We felt so bad. |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | When I worked as a teller many years ago, it was our policy to let them know they gave a counterfeit bill and we kept it, but we could not replace it with a good one, so that's very interesting that they actually "deposited" them for you.
The only one I can remember is someone came in the drive thru and one of the 100's they sent in was fake. We knew it wasn't intentional because they were an established customer, and we knew they wouldn't try and pull that. When we told them we had to confiscate the bill and we couldn't replace it, they weren't very happy, but said they'd go back to the person who gave it to them.
If you've been a customer for a while, that's pretty crappy that they would call the cops on you! They're supposed to handle it themselves. |
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 Thread Killer
Posts: 7545
| Itsme - 2014-01-13 3:12 PM Likely excuse...
OP, that really sucks. I hope they catch those kids - heck, THEY might even be victims. You have to be kind of smart to create counterfeit money. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 503
| I'm a waitress so I deal with a lot of cash. Always check the 50's and 100's but never the 20's. I walk out with my tips in cash that night and went to the tack store the next day. Lady thought it would be funny if she told me on of them was fake! Scared me half to death because that's one of my fears is one being fake, very likely since so much cash gets exchanged. |
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  Fact Checker
Posts: 16575
Location: Displaced Iowegian | They have been passing scads of fake 20's in my area....the other day they got fake "ones"....now who would go to the time and effort to make a FAKE ONE DOLLAR BILL........With all of the internet hacking of credit and debit cards and now fake cash....what the heck are we supposed to use? |
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 Expert
Posts: 3165
| Some kids in our neighborhood when i was 12-13 years old used to make counterfeit 20's and then they would buy something small from the ice-cream man with the 20, so that he hands them back change in actual money.
not sure if he got busted, or was able to turn the kids in but for years after that he and a lot of other trucks only accepted 1's 5's and 10's. |
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Expert
Posts: 3165
| on a more funny note, my dad thinks its "fun" to give cash gifts in $2 bills... you can still get them from the bank.
but when you try to spend them anywhere... cashiers are either mad because there is no slot in the draw for them, or they accuse you of trying to spend fake money.
my dad thinks its hilarious. |
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 Uh....never mind
Posts: 2696
Location: Midwest Farmer's Daughter: Central Illinois | NJJ - 2014-01-13 2:45 PM They have been passing scads of fake 20's in my area....the other day they got fake "ones"....now who would go to the time and effort to make a FAKE ONE DOLLAR BILL........With all of the internet hacking of credit and debit cards and now fake cash....what the heck are we supposed to use?
Those are made a lot by people who go to strip clubs. Throw lots of cash, get your jollies because the girls think you're a fresh, good-paying customer & then hit the road. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
| When I worked at the bank around a year ago we got counterfeit a lot more then we shouls have. Usually from gas stations but NEVER handled it that was. Just made the depositer aware of it and keep the money and there deposit would be short that amount. Sometimes even the tellers would miss and it would get shipped to the feds. We got a letter stating the teller number and made teller aware they needed to be more careful. That was it... I think that was a little bit over board on making you feel like a criminal |
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Fact Checker
Posts: 16575
Location: Displaced Iowegian | RLB - 2014-01-13 3:09 PM NJJ - 2014-01-13 2:45 PM They have been passing scads of fake 20's in my area....the other day they got fake "ones"....now who would go to the time and effort to make a FAKE ONE DOLLAR BILL........With all of the internet hacking of credit and debit cards and now fake cash....what the heck are we supposed to use? Those are made a lot by people who go to strip clubs. Throw lots of cash, get your jollies because the girls think you're a fresh, good-paying customer & then hit the road.
LOL....I had to laugh...now how would you KNOW that?  |
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 Veteran
Posts: 133
| That's pretty mortifying - they acted like you were the crook. Rude and since you have been banking there for years, shame on the bank for treating you that way! Once our bank accused my assistant of stealing their plastic tube thing from the drive through and when they discovered their mistake they sent her flowers. Went a long way to make us feel better. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | At least the bank teller was doing her job. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | NJJ - 2014-01-13 3:21 PM RLB - 2014-01-13 3:09 PM NJJ - 2014-01-13 2:45 PM They have been passing scads of fake 20's in my area....the other day they got fake "ones"....now who would go to the time and effort to make a FAKE ONE DOLLAR BILL........With all of the internet hacking of credit and debit cards and now fake cash....what the heck are we supposed to use? Those are made a lot by people who go to strip clubs. Throw lots of cash, get your jollies because the girls think you're a fresh, good-paying customer & then hit the road.
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| What I'm suprised someone hasn't already mentioned is this....you were out $40, and that's bad enough, but what if it was a stack of $100 bills which were used to pay for something expensive such as a saddle and what if those kids were using a trac phone paid for with cash which is not traceable?? Would it be your fault for not knowing the bills were fake(who would??) and you'd just have to take the loss??? That's very disturbing and scares me! |
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Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | Used2B - 2014-01-13 4:28 PM
What I'm suprised someone hasn't already mentioned is this....you were out $40, and that's bad enough, but what if it was a stack of $100 bills which were used to pay for something expensive such as a saddle and what if those kids were using a trac phone paid for with cash which is not traceable?? Would it be your fault for not knowing the bills were fake(who would??) and you'd just have to take the loss??? That's very disturbing and scares me!
Yep, if you take fake bills for payment, it's your loss and your responsibility to track down whoever gave it to you. Of course you'd want to report it to the authorities, but banks aren't going to make it right for you.
ETA: they sell counterfeit detector pens at office supply stores, in case you're wary of getting fake bills from someone.
Edited by Gunner11 2014-01-13 4:38 PM
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Itsme - 2014-01-13 2:12 PM Likely excuse...
Likely excuse for what?? What are you talking about? |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Gunner11 - 2014-01-13 2:26 PM When I worked as a teller many years ago, it was our policy to let them know they gave a counterfeit bill and we kept it, but we could not replace it with a good one, so that's very interesting that they actually "deposited" them for you.
Yea, the $40 didn't actually get deposited and the teller told me that after the fact when I was there with the police officer.
I thought it was a little "rash" on the bank's part for calling the cops on me, but I am not angry at them in any way and understand that maybe that's just how they have to do things.
Just got a call from the detective in the sheriff's department who's working on the case. I sent him the screen shots from my phone of the text messages. They're going to try to get the phone number's records and see if they can track him down. Or .... track down the other victim! Who knows. These kids did act kinda strange but what teenage boy isn't strange? 
It'll be interesting if they can actually catch the one who started this all, whether that was the teenagers or someone else. |
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