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To be honest the teller needs to be fired.  I don't care how many people you have with the same name at that bank, they don't all have the same account number.  He/she should have verified the account number they were putting the money into, especially with such a large deposit.

Even if the teller had used the right number there are a number of ways this still could have happened after the fact. If anything its the customers fault for not using a proper deposit slip that is already encoded with the right account number on it. People don't realize that even after it leaves the teller someone has to manually key the account number, and routing number if its not already on the deposit slip. They also have to key the amount to be encoded. All the funny numbers on the bottom of the documents have to be encoded and read into a computer. That's how all this stuff happens. I used to work for a bank and even with all the safe guards in place its a miracle the stuff actually makes it to the right account considering all the places where it can fail. I can easily see how a teller could make a mistake.

Stupid teller and stupid managers for not watching their employees.  I worked for a credit union for 9yrs.  They double check the tellers work at the end of the day and make sure eveything is correct and balanced out at the end of the night before anyone can leave.  And they always ask you for your name, account number, and your most recent transaction with them.

 

Proably an isolated incident but someone needs to review company policy and guidelines.

You would be surprised how many banking errors happen even after someone doubles and triple checks the work. Crap happens all the time. I have seen where instead of the deposit slip and credit slips get sent to the proof department, they send the actual cash instead. This stuff happens on a daily basis. I am not saying put your money in a matress but be aware anytime you use a check or deposit slip there is a real risk stuff like this will happen. If at all possible try to do everything as electronic as possible so there is a paper trail so to speak.

3 of my friends have had their debit cards cloned while on holiday in the USA. Not a single one has ever had it cloned in the UK. One person charged $200 to his account from McDonalds, I can't even comprehend how much McDonalds $200 would even buy, I struggle to finish ?10 worth.

 

They don?t verify the ID in the USA, and they are still using the magnetic band instead of the chip.

 

I purposefully don?t sign my credit/debit card. I write ?Verify ID? instead, but they check in the USA. Sometimes, just to nag the cashier a bit, I tell him/her, ?You know, you should check my ID before you complete my purchase.? 

You guys finally got rid of dollar bills too but people here throw a fit if you mention changing to dollar coins. I don't know why, they're just stuck in their ways.

 

Haha! So true! USA still can't get the dollar coin because of people whining about change.

 

Yes, we have 1 and 2 dollar coins. And we got rid of the penny, too, in February last year! We now only have 5, 10, and 25 cents coins.

When a person makes a deposit they (or a bank teller) will fill out a deposit slip which includes their account number.

 

DepositSlip.gif

 

Wow! How.. quaint! :p

 

For a "world leader in technology", the US sure is lagging behind in banking...

My wife used to be a teller and can tell war stories about customers who expected them to know their account numbers just by their name.  Or, how many times the customer would have several accounts and then get upset if you put the money in the wrong account all because they don't know the number or have proper Identification.  She would always insist on them coming back with proper ID at least. 

 

Human error which I hope is the case with this teller I'm sure resulted in at minimum a write up/probation at work, or termination.   FDIC won't cover an error on the bank's part as far as I'm aware.  Now, if the bank was robbed, FDIC, will reimburse the bank for the money which was lost during the robbery.   That isn't the only thing they do though with the FDIC but it is one of the main functions.

 

There are many banks around here which use deposit slips like the ones in this thread mine included.  If I walk into my bank to do a deposit, and give them my debit card, they type in the card number into the computer which matches the bank account to my name, but even that is not fool proof.

But it's not the primary method, and hasn't been for years.

 

Whether it's the primary method or not isn't my point but i do totally agree with you, it's an antiquated system that needs to be fazed out pronto! 

You use your debit card and pin at the banks ATM to withdraw or deposit. Now If you go inside the bank to a teller I always need my ID and account number or I need my ID name and they verify my social and address if I don't know the account number.

Yes and I really don't understand how this happens.

My bank requests the acct # upfront and then verifies the name after they type the # in. Seems to me either the teller didn't follow procedure or the bank has crap prodecure.

Pretty much the standard procedure in India too. 

Wow, generalizing much in this thread? One teller at one bank made a mistake and suddenly the whole US banking system is old, antiquated and to blame for this mistake. Do most banks and credit unions still have paper deposit slips? Sure. Are they the 'primary' way to make deposits? Of course not, I personally haven't used one in 10 years but they are available if you want and I know some older folks who do. I would bet most banks in most countries still have them available as well. Each bank could do things different but at the local Credit Union I use (in a small town) I never need to fill out anything on paper anymore; just hand them my card and put in the PIN, their system has a photo of me that the teller can see and then we can do business. That's only when I actually need to go into the building, which is rare enough when most everything can be done online or at an ATM.

 

On topic: The bank should look closely at their policies, if the teller didn't follow them then yea, should be reprimanded, supervisor too. I don't think the kid should be prosecuted though, he has to give the money back (all of it, too bad for him if he spent some of it) but I don't feel he did anything criminal. Not like he stole it. Poor judgement perhaps but I have met very few 18-year-olds that possess good judgement.

The bank gave him $31,000. Yes it was an error on the banks part, but at the end of the day, it was their error, not the kid who got the cash.

If he spent the cash, then good on him, it technically was his to spend anyway as the bank was the one who gave it to him.

You guys can argue all you want, but the money was his. The bank teller should be fired, and forced to pay the money THEY wrongly deposited.

Why should someone be punished for someone else's mistake?

Barclays in the UK have the slips for deposits but mainly because you usually have to seal your deposit and slip in an envelope than post it in machine for them to sort out later.Its also there for others who want to deposit in someone elses account or pay bills [still waiting for someone to deposit money in mine by mistake :rolleyes:  :laugh: ].

The small print would cover a Bank over such teller issues but its still odd no account number was requested for the initial transaction.

The money was most likely insured by the FDIC, so I'm sure the bank made it right with the man. Still, though, the teen should have called the bank rather than going on a shopping spree, and should have made every effort he could to return it. Wrong is wrong, so I hope they throw the book at 'em.

It's the bank's mistake. Why should the kid pay for the banks mistake? in fact the teller who made the deposit should be sued instead and be made to pay. Very simple to ask for an account # for verification. They should throw the book at the employee, and not all at the kid. They could request it or get a court order to order him to pay it back.

insert their bank card and PIN number? That?s what my bank does. Then again it?s a Canadian bank

My bank doesn't require me to hand over my card or such like. It's called service. The people in my bank know me and my name. They don't screw up.

 

The receipts provided ensure everything is in the right place.

My bank doesn't require me to hand over my card or such like. It's called service. The people in my bank know me and my name. They don't screw up.

 

The receipts provided ensure everything is in the right place.

 

Same with mine. No slips, no cards, no ID. Just give them my name or social for deposits. The printed receipt at the end confirms the transaction was correct. 

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