Is there a lawyer in the house?

My roommate Ryan decided to finally go and get a checking account instead of having wadded up dollar bills consistently falling out of his pockets. The closest bank to our house is a little Bank of America, so he rolled in there and signed up for a regular account. Apparently “B of A” has this policy of asking new folks if they were recommended by any existing customers; Ryan wasn’t sure, but he put my name and our address down on the forms, and away he skipped into banking bliss.

Alright, I feel like I should give you a disclaimer before I go on: “I swear by everything that is holy and good and deep-fried that this is a real blog and not some forwarded chain mail.”

I say this because as crazy as it sounds, about two weeks later Ryan received a check in the mail for SIXTY DOLLARS — just for signing up!!!

Even stranger, yours truly received 25 dollars as well, apparently for “recommending him”, (which, for the record, I did not). So my little Perry Masons, this is where the legal issue comes into play:

I am not, nor have I ever been, a “customer” of Bank of America.

So then, should I cash the check? Or should I tuck it away and never look at it again as my mother suggets?

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Published:: 03.24.06 / 11pm

Category:: Open Discussion

sherrard 03.25.06 / 1am

Okay, that is weird. Is there any disclaimer that, by cashing this check, you are signing up for some other service such as a credit line?

In any case, how the fuck did they get your name?

Ugh, sketchy.

Kylark 03.25.06 / 8am

Read the back of the check carefully. Some checks have language under the line where you endorse it, that says “by endorsing this check, I agree such–and-such, blah, blah, blah.”

If there is no such language, go ahead and cash it.

Bring the check to a Bank of America branch and just get the $25 cash there. That way they won’t have your account information (just in case it is something shady).

I used to work at a bank. Banks like to open checking accounts for people because checking accounts are very profitable (overdraft fees), plus it gets people in the door for more services. So I’m not surprised they provideed an incentive to open an account; however, $85 total does seem like a lot of money.

halfbaked hannah 03.25.06 / 3pm

I would go into the bank and find out. I bet you get you signed up for something.

arinn 03.26.06 / 1am

i think canadians are generally less suspicious of ‘free’ money. after all, our government gives the lower-incomed among us tax rebates four times a year. usually they are 60-80 dollars each. i’ve never heard of a bank sending money, but then, neither have i heard of banks signing anyone up for something just by cashing a cheque. yes, ‘cheque’.

jp 03.27.06 / 2pm

o you should totally cash it, but do it at the bank of america!

check this out:

http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2

Kylark 04.01.06 / 1pm

The bank I used to work for just started giving away free iPod Nanos if you open a checking account with direct deposit and bill pay.

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Is there a lawyer in the house?

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