To think it’s nobody’s business what I do with my money?

[ToffeePennee]

I went in to my bank to withdraw a large amount of cash. I explained to the cashier what I wanted to do and she proceeded to ask some security questions - all fine.

One of the questions was what I wanted the cash for so I said I was having building work done. She then started saying that I should pay by bank transfer, it was tax avoidance etc. etc. When I insisted I still wanted to withdraw the money, she sighed and rolled her eyes and I felt really judged and like I’d done something wrong.

I’m glad now that I didn’t admit the real reason is in case the banking system collapses and it’s now stuffed under my mattress.

Please tell me I’m not wrong to think she had no right to judge me and if she did, she should have been professional and not passed comment?

@ToffeePennee

She believed I was paying for building work and shouldn’t do that via cash, I assume because she believed it an attempt to avoid tax.

Why do PPs never believe what’s been posted? Why would I bother posting a thread about a normal banking transaction with boring normal questions? I’m not stupid and I left feeling judged and like I’d done something wrong because of her tone, mannerisms, and her not accepting my answers, trying to dissuade me from making a perfectly legitimate transaction.

She didn't believe you. She knew you were lying from ypur body language. So she tried to extend the conversation to try and get the truth from you. And that could have been yhat your extremely violent relation was waiting outside to take the money off you. Or seeing if someone hanging around the banking hall reacted badly to the delay because they were coercing you into withdrawing the cash. It's a weekly occurrence in most branches and bank staff are violently attacked in such situations regularly. But they put their own physical safety on the line to protect your cash.

So you are using the money for dubious, tax dodging purposes then.

Glad we got that straight.

I know someone who went to the bank
Explained her purpose as requested
The bank manager was called
Sone digging was done
As a result she narrowly avoided being scammed

@AutomaticMoon

In care work you’re supposed to assume people have capacity, why are banks exempt from this?

They're not assuming the person lacks capacity to make the decision, they're doing checks to see if they're victims of crime.

Would you prefer they didn't ask these questions? One PP has said that they stopped her family member being scammed, surely that's a good thing?

When you've seen footage of vulnerable people being physically escorted to the bank to withdraw large sums of cash for rogue traders and scammers you might feel a little differently about the questions that the cashier is obliged to ask.

My DPs were prevented from transferring money to their niece in the USA and had a visit from the police to check they weren't being scammed. They had to show emails and correspondence before they were then allowed to go back to the bank and make the transfer.

I suppose it's good to protect people but it does feel a bit like age discrimination as usually the elderly who are asked the questions.

Lol at paper money under the bed having any value if the banking system collapses

@Player001

It's safeguarding. Too many people fall prey to scams so they are trying to help prevent that.

Yep, a lot of people pay cash to dodgy builders/roofers who are basically con men. A bank cashier is right to ask a few questions to try to warn a customer about the risks of paying large amounts of cash.

@rookiemere

My DPs were prevented from transferring money to their niece in the USA and had a visit from the police to check they weren't being scammed. They had to show emails and correspondence before they were then allowed to go back to the bank and make the transfer.

I suppose it's good to protect people but it does feel a bit like age discrimination as usually the elderly who are asked the questions.

It's usually the elderly who are being scammed.

So you've told her you want the money in order to help someone evade tax and you're cross because you feel she's judging you?

Next time tell her you need it to pay your coke dealer.

Also as per PP, just because she engaged with your stated reason for the transaction doesn't necessarily mean she believed you. It would be normal to dig a bit if you think that something's iffy rather than going straight in with "I think you're lying". And if she suspected money laundering rather than a scam it would be seriously illegal for her to tell you that she thought you were lying.

My elderly aunt used to withdraw large sums of cash. She would look the cashier straight in the eye and say "gin" when asked what the several thousands were for.

I was in the bank with my elderly mum and we were sat down having a chat with a member of staff about various financial matters, and she was telling us about examples of common scams. An elderly man came in while we were there with exactly one of the scam letters she was telling us about Luckily he thought about asking the bank first. Not everyone does though.

Iam pretty sure I heard earlier this week a government minister saying that fraud was not a proper crime and does not affect people. That is why they have suddenly not included it in the statistics they like to use

He's a fool to suggest ordinary people are not affected by fraud. It's misleading and untrue.

I talk to victims of fraud every single day - and I can assure you they are very 'real', mostly ordinary people: people on benefits, pensioners, single mothers, teenagers, business people, working parents, from all backgrounds and of all ages - every single day I speak to these people. Anyone can be the victim of a scam and you are naive if you think otherwise.

It's a massive problem, scammers are getting more sophisticated - even cloning bank telephone numbers so you think you're speaking to your bank or finding out your mother's maiden name so you think they know the answers to your security questions and therefore must be who they say they are and so on ... in order to make you think they are an organisation you can trust - there should actually be much more done to raise awareness.

My friend has always preferred cash and kept slot in the house. I suspect 5 I not 6 figures. They have just been burgled and it's all gone. Insurance doesn't cover it.

@AutomaticMoon

Yes, and regular people have their bank accounts blocked and it would be ‘tipping-off’ to tell them what the problem is, it’s Kafkaesque.

If people are lacking capacity to manage finances, why are they not being supported with this? It’s absurd to treat all of us as lacking capacity. Many just seem to want to be nannied like this.

It's because people who DO have capacity also get scammed!

@OfstedOffred

Lol at paper money under the bed having any value if the banking system collapses

This. If you're lucky and manage to avoid large amounts of cash not being stolen or lost in a fire or flood, then the chances of it having any value if the banks collapse is minimal. It's just paper telling you how much the banks owe you. It has no intrinsic value.

@ToffeePennee

It’s not really under my mattress, it’s in a fireproof case but yes, the ways things are right now I feel like there is real potential for things to go very wrong very quickly and so I feel safer having enough at hand in a SHTF situation. I didn’t empty my account or anything.

So you envision a world in which the entire global banking system has crashed, but in which people and businesses will be happy to accept your tenners?

I would have thought that the questions being asked were either due to money laundering queries, especially if you've withdrawn large sums of money from the same branch in the past.
Another reason why cashiers may start asking questions is due to financial abuse in the home, if you're withdrawing a large sum of money it could be because there is some domestic abuse going on and they are being trained now to spot this.

@onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad

Iam pretty sure I heard earlier this week a government minister saying that fraud was not a proper crime and does not affect people. That is why they have suddenly not included it in the statistics they like to use

He's a fool to suggest ordinary people are not affected by fraud. It's misleading and untrue.

I talk to victims of fraud every single day - and I can assure you they are very 'real', mostly ordinary people: people on benefits, pensioners, single mothers, teenagers, business people, working parents, from all backgrounds and of all ages - every single day I speak to these people. Anyone can be the victim of a scam and you are naive if you think otherwise.

It's a massive problem, scammers are getting more sophisticated - even cloning bank telephone numbers so you think you're speaking to your bank or finding out your mother's maiden name so you think they know the answers to your security questions and therefore must be who they say they are and so on ... in order to make you think they are an organisation you can trust - there should actually be much more done to raise awareness.

Government ministers are surely not fools, they are the brightest and best in the land.

What do you want the money for?

Mostly drugs and strippers, the rest I will just waste.

@ToffeePennee

Do you understand that your money is protected up to £85K per institution?

Withdrawing thousands and thousands to keep in your home is a worrying sign.

I had a friend who was a civilian police worker and worked in victim support. She said the amount of women that fell for online romance scams and sent off money was truly frightening.

I am 50 50 on this one. Last time I needed to draw a largeish amount from the bank the cashier asked me very quietly if anybody was making me do it which i thought was acceptable. I had also contacted my bank and told them what I was going to do as my branch (now closed) was a small one and I wanted to be sure they would have enough cash on hand. The lady i spoke to said that she would make sure that they did and that they would earmark it for me. On the other hand, when my husband died and I was in and out of the bank closing stuff out, paying bills, depositing cheques and so on and very very little of it was done with cash, I was asked about 3 times if they could give me investment advice. The first time I said no thanks and the second time (different cashier) I asked why she was asking and she said it came up on her screen that she had to so I told her that I'd like it to be noted that they shouldn't ask as i was finding it painful. She immediately apologised and said she would sort it and I wasn't asked again. The third time it was a very unpleasant acting manager who accosted me on my next visit and asked me quite publicly if the bank could give me investment advice as i had quite a large sum in my current account. Right there I lost it completely and told him it was to pay for my dead husbands funeral and to settle certain bills and that if ANYBODY asked me again i would remove my business forthwith (yes I did say forthwith!)
I mean yes I get money laundering and assisting people but there are ways and ways and limits

@rookiemere

My DPs were prevented from transferring money to their niece in the USA and had a visit from the police to check they weren't being scammed. They had to show emails and correspondence before they were then allowed to go back to the bank and make the transfer.

I suppose it's good to protect people but it does feel a bit like age discrimination as usually the elderly who are asked the questions.

This is dictatorship level intrusion, unbelievable. I lived in a dictatorship which is why I know and still get triggered by this kind of authoritarian stuff.

@NumberTheory

Last time I transfered a large amount of money and got similar questions and insinuations about it obviously being dodgy I just said "That's rich coming from a banker" and raised an eyebrow.

Yes because it’s that cashier on living wage who needs to take the brunt of your ‘banker’ jokes. OP this thread is ridiculous. I have worked as a bank cashier (albeit a good while ago) and scams are very very real. Banks have a duty to try and prevent fraud and protect its customers. That’s all they are trying to do. As for taking out cash to keep at home that’s utterly ridiculous. Much safer in a bank where it’s protected