Return of Mr Ecuador

First - here's my new nephew. Isn't he cute!

You might remember my story of the man from Ecuador who wanted to borrow money from the bank to return home with a one-way ticket. If not, the post is here.

I am no longer working at the branch on Plankinton Avenue (thankfully). Now I am back at the branch where I was hired. Somehow my buddy from Ecuador found me there and insisted on meeting me. We sat down and again he pleaded for help. He showed me that old id. He also handed me a police report dated February 2007 saying that that was the report he filed for the guy who stole his papers. Then he insisted that he built the whole building I was working in. Later he hands me a business card and I never could figure out what that was for.

He also showed me a money order he received from the bank so he could buy his ticket, and wanted me to call the airline and buy his tickets. I had to explain that he needed to find out from them if he had enough papers to leave the country and that he would have to present them with the check-I couldn't just call and order tickets without money.

And finally, the one item that cleared up all of the confusion. Copies of papers from a psychiatric hospital. He never did explain why I needed to see those either, but they sure did clarify his bizzare behavior.

But you don't have to be certifiable to come into the bank with a crazy story!

Recently someone came in claiming fraud on their account - fraud that happened in March of this year and the account has since been closed. She said she called the Fraud department and they told her to fill out a claim and affidavid. I asked her when she did that, she said, "I don't know, maybe June." And when I asked her why it took he so long she just sighed and asked me to get her the forms.

Or what about the guy who came in a couple days ago claiming that the fraudulent $2,000 ATM deposit (empty envelope) and the corresponding $2,000 withdrawl at the same ATM moments later were not him. He claimed he never received his ATM card, so he therefore could not have made these transactions. I asked him again and again he insisted that he never received the card. I printed out the claim form and a pen and asked him to complete them. His answer to "where was the last place you had your ATM card?" his written answer was, "In my pocket."

A couple weeks ago I had to call a client to find out where he got the $4950 check he deposted that was bad and returned. He explained that he "won a contest" and received it in the mail. I asked him what contest and he didn't know, saying only that he plays contests some times. Then I asked him what the two wire transfers out were for, and he explained to me that that was part of the contest - once he received and deposited the check he had to immediately wire money back to some guy who would then send him a much larger check. When do you win a contest you don't remember playing and then have to send money back in order to receive the winnings? I'll tell you when - NEVER. And then he could NOT understand why the bank was making him responsible for paying back that money.

Yep, the bank is quite an adventure.