Americans - Be weary of how you are cashing forgeign checks
 

I recently got a sponsor check from a Canadian sponsor. I mistakenly put it in the ATM to cash it. Big mistake.

If you haven't experienced cashing a foreign check yet, read on.

You are supposed to take the check into the bank and get grilled by them as to why you got paid from an outside source. They send all that info to the DOJ and it must go into some kinda database to thwart terrorism.. Or perhaps it is sold as an Op-In email list to LightSpeedCash ;)

I put my check in the ATM. My account got frozen. It had a few grand in it. It won't be unfrozen until I go to the bank and discuss my error and apologize to them. It is currently Sunday. They are not open on Sunday. So I just went from being even more well off to being -500 (They put a negative balance on it of that ammount to insure I cannot still draft money from it based on my overdraft protection). Fuck an Aye.

Live and learn... Bush, you are so not going to get my vote you fucking paranoid fucker!

sounds like someone is as high and paranoid as i am right now

What the fuck?!

That's fucking insane :1orglaugh

shitty, they just hold my check a few days to make sure it won't bounce haha

Well now we all know what to do with our forgeign checks.

Hehe, kinda reads like a Freudian Slip...

:1orglaugh sounds like your bank is a bunch of asshates

That's just a front to get you in the bank. Run dude, the FEDS are after you. :2 cents:

Your bank serves you, not the other way around. Go in there, get things straightened out, tell the manager to shove an apology up his ass, pull your accounts and go find a more customer-oriented institution.

I once had my bank manager try to pull some shit like this on me. She put a 20-day hold on all my US checques because she found out some of my sites were adult. I had my lawyer contact her and let her know that if she continued harrassing me using my bank accounts she would find her stupid ass in court. End of problem.

I of course later pulled my mortgage out of their, and my line of credit, as well as 90% of my regular banking. I have one US account and one savings account with them now, and their company has her to thank for it. I win.

:(

It's normal that you have to take the check into the bank, so they can convert it to US dollars and put it into your account. But them asking you why you got paid from an outside source? That's just none of there damn business.

fuck that shit, if my bank did that I would take my business elsewhere

I have no problem, and I have never had a problem, cashing checks from all over the world....they don't even put a hold on my checks anymore until they clear

I have never experienced this. I would fucking go in there with :BangBang: bitch! No way!!:ak47:

Dont sponsors outside the Us already do the conversions before they cut a check?

Yeah, check was in USD, that is why I figured I'd just stick it into the ATM!

BTW, I use Wells Fargo.

I used to use Bank of America but ever since it merged with Security Pacific (which was an awesome bank) it went to shit. BofA used to put a hold on any check over $999.00. Fucking lamers. Most of my checks are over a grand including my 'non-adult regular' income. Fucking stupid shit...

I am going to post another post to get to the bottom of this shit.

bjjb:

Why should they? You don't get US sponsors cutting checks in Euros... :winkwink:

Banks will do what banks do - whether they are in the US or elsewhere. Just accept banks are not there to have something called "customer service" - that's a myth that left the banking arena years ago. The only way to get any benefit from a bank is use and abused them (na.. I don't mean rob them!). Otherwise cash is king!

BTW.. there is some really weird shit with US "precautions" (or invasion of privacy). I sent.. not much... it was under $500 to someone in the US by Western Union. What happens? This person gets cuffed and taken into custody while collecting kids from school. This individual said nothing and refused to even discuss the money with them and eventually telling the law to fuck off and stop wasting time, and then declared an "interest" by giving a real identity - an undercover officer! :glugglug They are a fucking joke - God help the US if that's the standard of "protection" that's in place.

What is this shit? You're telling me that it was in the US currency but they didn't accept it in the ATM? And they asked you questions about why you're receiving checks from outside? That's just ridiculous.

been there had it happen, welcome to the patriot act.

I'll take that in context with pun included thanks ;)

Webby, you better be kiddin me.

Roger:

Hell no!! Not kidding - I'm serious!! :-) This happened in January this year.

There was some even more "spectacular" side stories to that incident - but not a good idea to say. The overall "impact" just makes the whole thing one very sad joke.

That kinda shit ... even tho I'm a bit cynical anyway.. just proves stuff even more :-)