Bank Question, Check amount changed.

[DawnCt1]

DH wrote a check to the US Treasury; IRS. I just viewed it on line. It is very clear and legible. It clearly says $XX37.00. Someone wrote on the front of the check, midway, near the signature $XX57.00 Now if he underpaid the IRS, they would send a bill for the deficiency. I don't think that they would change the check amount. It is also so clear and legible that I don't think someone 'guessed'. It is also obvious that the writing is different.What do you suppose happened? Could an unscrupulous check clearer add $20 for themselves, send the IRS the correct amount and not think that anyone would question the IRS? I have no idea. I am just guessing. I will go to the bank when it opens.

 

[Nancyg56]

Was the written amount different than the numerical amount? I ask this because the amount written is the amount that is honored. If they do not match the written amount is charged, not the numerical amount.

 

[luvmy3]

When I processed child support payments we were to enter the amount written out, not what the numbers in the box. Maybe they teller was confused by "thirty" and "fifty". I would call the bank ASAP to get to the bottom of it, a change on a check can't be done by anyone other than the person who wrote it (an you need to initial it) so I would definitely want to know what was going on.

 

[PixieTopaz]

Dont you write under the numbers-One thousand three hundred and thirty seven dollars? Wouldnt the "WORDS" be wrong?

 

[DawnCt1]

The words and the numbers match. The Thirty is very clear. I just printed it out so I can take it to the bank and so I took a closer look. I noticed that who ever did it, signed it herself (Lashanda) so I don't think that there is deliberate fraud at this point, but I don't intend to give the IRS a gift of $20.

 

[RitaZ.]

The legal amount is what is written out, not the figure in the small box. Did you verify the amount on that line? Maybe you made a mistake?

 

[RUDisney]

If there was fraud involved, your bank will help find that when it determines to what account the extra $20 was deposited.

However, having said that... because it is only $20, your bank will probably look at the check, and give you the $20 because the Fed won't accept adjustments for under $25. It isn't worth the Fed's time, or the bank's time to research items that are under that dollar value. If it was fraud, this is a good way to go about it because with low dollar values, it could go on for a long time without anyone noticing as long as the checks are drawn on other banks.

Either way, you'll get your money back.

 

[DawnCt1]

The legal amount is what is written out, not the figure in the small box. Did you verify the amount on that line? Maybe you made a mistake?

It is very clear. There is no way that the TH could be mistaken for an F, nor the "r" before the "t" be mistaken for an "f".

 

[DawnCt1]

If there was fraud involved, your bank will help find that when it determines to what account the extra $20 was deposited.

However, having said that... because it is only $20, your bank will probably look at the check, and give you the $20 because the Fed won't accept adjustments for under $25. It isn't worth the Fed's time, or the bank's time to research items that are under that dollar value. If it was fraud, this is a good way to go about it because with low dollar values, it could go on for a long time without anyone noticing as long as the checks are drawn on other banks.

Either way, you'll get your money back.

That was my initial thought too. My bank is very responsible. They made a mistake before and fixed it immediately, so I am sure they will fix this. I was just more interested in the "process" and the possibility of "skimming". Small amounts are a good way to do it.

 

[swanmom]

Dawn,
Was this a just a 'notation' made by someone on the face of the check or was it actually processed by your bank for $57.00? If you look on the far right of the bottom encoded line on the check, the actual processing amount is encoded by the bank as it goes through their system.

 

[agnes!]

Is anyone else sitting here wondering just who in the world "Lashanda" is? And HOW did she get her mitts on *your* check Dawn?

Yeah, pretty smart way to defraud people of petty cash...Bet "Lashanda" does this to a LOT of people, but if you add up many multiples of $20 it spells F-e-l-o-n-y. Btw, who exactly is this "Lashanda" stealing from...the taxpayer? The IRS? The bank?

agnes!

 

[PixieTopaz]

Could this Lashanda work at the bank that the checks are deposited in from the IRS and she figured a way to get some pocket change?-unbelievable!!


BTW_ I messed up on our taxes this year and the IRS found my mistake and we got an additional $800 back

 

[luvmy3]

Is anyone else sitting here wondering just who in the world "Lashanda" is? And HOW did she get her mitts on *your* check Dawn?

Yeah, pretty smart way to defraud people of petty cash...Bet "Lashanda" does this to a LOT of people, but if you add up many multiples of $20 it spells F-e-l-o-n-y. Btw, who exactly is this "Lashanda" stealing from...the taxpayer? The IRS? The bank?

agnes!

The money would be missing from Dawn's acct so (if) this is a case of fraud, Lashanda would be stealing from the customer. I admit I was thinking the same thing, thats why its important to bring this kind of stuff directly to the attention of the bank manager, DO NOT go to Lashanda. If this has happened before, especially multiple times they will be aware of a pattern.

 

[iwrbnd]

I'll be interested to know what the bank says!

If Lashanda takes $20 here and $20 there it really adds up! I know that scam is pulled on me everyday by my children!

 

[RUDisney]

Dawn,
Was this a just a 'notation' made by someone on the face of the check or was it actually processed by your bank for $57.00? If you look on the far right of the bottom encoded line on the check, the actual processing amount is encoded by the bank as it goes through their system.

Most checks aren't encoded anymore. Since the onset of Check 21, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, check images are transferred from bank to bank, via the Fed or a clearning house bank. A data file is used to withdraw the money from the customer's account. The checks don't have to be rehandled by the clearning bank, so no need for encoded amounts on the checks.

Could this Lashanda work at the bank that the checks are deposited in from the IRS and she figured a way to get some pocket change?-unbelievable!!


BTW_ I messed up on our taxes this year and the IRS found my mistake and we got an additional $800 back

This was my first thought. However, either "Lashonda" doesn't exist and is a pseudonym for the person doing the skimming, or she is very stupid to change a check and put her name on it.

I don't necessarily think it was a fraud. There was no need to write a different amount on the check or her name. If she wanted to skim money into her account, she could have changed the amount without altering the check and made an adjustment into an account of her choice.

By altering the face of the check, the check processing system could have picked up the 57 instead of Dawn's actual amount since most checks don't have to be entered manually, but are done by OCR.

 

[DawnCt1]

The XX57.00 is hand written on the front of the check about a half inch to the right of the bank's logo. Lashanda is written just below the XX57.00 The bank did debit XX57.00 from my account, not XX37. (I am a compulsive checking account balancer so I noticed immediately. I have been waiting for the check to clear). Intrigue! I wonder if they will let me know if I undcovered a skimming scheme. What a way to do it! Who would want the IRS to even think about them after tax day.

 

[happygirl]

The XX57.00 is hand written on the front of the check about a half inch to the right of the bank's logo. Lashanda is written just below the XX57.00 The bank did debit XX57.00 from my account, not XX37. (I am a compulsive checking account balancer so I noticed immediately. I have been waiting for the check to clear). Intrigue! I wonder if they will let me know if I undcovered a skimming scheme. What a way to do it! Who would want the IRS to even think about them after tax day.

I wouldn't want for the check to clear. I would be going down there right now.

 

[Acklander]

I wouldn't think it was a skimming scheme, but a mistake.
I used to work in a bank a zillion years ago, and while I'm sure things are done differently now, the basics should be about the same.
Example: The IRS deposits Dawn's check for $37.00 and the IRS shows $37.00 in their account. It clears Dawn's account for $57.00. There is no actual cash that changes hands, just paper. But the numbers between the banks are off by $20.00. The $20.00 is then placed in a holding account until the problem is figured out why (since so many checks clear in a day it's hard to pinpoint the exact problem right away)
It used to be my job at the bank to find those problems sitting in the holding account and reconcile them.
It should be an easy fix.

 

[luvmy3]

I wouldn't think it was a skimming scheme, but a mistake.
I used to work in a bank a zillion years ago, and while I'm sure things are done differently now, the basics should be about the same.
Example: The IRS deposits Dawn's check for $37.00 and the IRS shows $37.00 in their account. It clears Dawn's account for $57.00. There is no actual cash that changes hands, just paper. But the numbers between the banks are off by $20.00. The $20.00 is then placed in a holding account until the problem is figured out why (since so many checks clear in a day it's hard to pinpoint the exact problem right away)
It used to be my job at the bank to find those problems sitting in the holding account and reconcile them.
It should be an easy fix.

That would make sense if an amount was just entered wrong, but how do you explain the fact that the check itself was altered and signed, doesn't that raise a red flag

 

[happygirl]

That would make sense if an amount was just entered wrong, but how do you explain the fact that the check itself was altered and signed, doesn't that raise a red flag

If it was fraud why would anyone sign it?