Wachovia accused of giving 10 counterfeit $100 bills to customer—will not reimburse
Bank Gave Counterfeit Bills, Couple Says
Different Customer Given Refund After Fake Money Claim, Report Says
POSTED: 11:33 pm EDT July 22, 2008
UPDATED: 9:49 am EDT July 23, 2008ORLANDO, Fla.—A couple has contacted the Secret Service claiming a Central Florida bank gave them 10 counterfeit bills during a transaction.
Ulises Garcia said he was withdrawing cash from a Wachovia Bank and depositing it into a Bank of America so he could pay his bills online.
However, the Bank of America teller noticed something funny about 10 of the 36 $100 bills Garcia said he received from Wachovia Bank—they were counterfeit, Local 6’s Tony Pipitone reported.
However, the bank has not given Garcia or his fiancé, Joann Rodriguez, any money.
“We have big plans,” Rodriguez said. “We were planning to get married in about two or three months.”
“And this money’s pretty important?” Pipitone asked.
“Very important,” Rodrguez said. “It’s a big part of our wedding.”
“It is really frustrating for us,” Garcia said. “The bank is not doing anything about it. (It’s) just not giving us any solutions at all.”
A Wachovia representative said it will not refund any money because it can’t verify the $1,000 in counterfeit notes were the same bills Garcia was handed by their teller.
But weeks later, Wachovia did refund $40 to another customer with a similar story, Local 6 has learned.
Garcia said Wachovia is ripping him off and has alerted the sheriff’s office, the Secret Service and the media.
“Ten (bills) in one transaction to come from one bank, that is definitely unusual,” U.S. Secret Service representative Jim Glendinning said.
“But is it possible?” Pipitone asked.
“Remotely, yes it is,” Glendinning said.
Glendinning said he was not surprised the Bank of America caught the counterfeits but wondered how a Wachovia could pass the bills unless a bank employee was in on it, Pipitone reported.
The United States Secret Service Web site shows people how to detect counterfeit money.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Wachovia’s financial problems, but they couldn’t possibly be trying to solve their cash flow crisis by handing out fake $100 bills to customers.
And that they wouldn’t reimburse the customer is just outrageous. It never occurred to me that a BANK could give you fake money.
If MANY customers TRANSFER their deposits from Wachovia into other banks (wire, check) and let them know that their conduct is not acceptable, they’ll learn their lesson.
Of course most people won’t care one way or another and rather pay them to issue checks. But then you’re looking at the possibility of 8 week holds by other banks as with IndyMac checks at Wells Fargo and WaMu.
I don’t understand why anyone still has money at Wachovia, are they all looking forward to stand in line all day when the FDIC takes over? They’re so rich they’re not bothered by 8 week holds?
I sure hope Wachovia goes out of business soon to make room for banks like the Common Good Bank.
The sad reality is that only 473 people in America WANT a bank that does NOT charge outrageous fees and does NOT rip them off.
Signed Up So Far
in 45 states: 473
in Canada: 10
elsewhere: 39
TOTAL: 522
It is so depressing to know that I’ve posted about the Common Good Bank and had the link on the sidebar for almost 4 months and most people are too damn lazy to take the 10 seconds to sign up.
I have personally received OVER 473 complaints about banks! That just goes to show that Americans get what they want.
