This apparently happened at a SF BofA in August of this year - Didn't see that it was posted previously (maybe it was)- Guy sold some bikes on craigslist, took the check he received from the buyer to his BofA and asked the teller to check if it was good (it wasn't) The manager called the SFPD, he was arrested "for the safety of the bank employees" and had to post $4500 in bail. Cost him a total of $14,000 to clear up the whole mess. A consumer advocate heard the story and broadcast it, BofA refused to consider their position and to date customers have closed accounts in response to the story....

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/11/15/bank_...erica_lose.html

(Just a bizarre story in that BofA wouldnt' change their position, thought I'd share)

wow that is crazy wonder why they would arrest him..
i got a fake postal money order once for a grand.
i took it to the post office and told them it looked fake..
they ran the numbers and found out sure enough it was a fake.
they just asked if they could keep it.
i hope that guy goes after them and wins a boat load of cash.

I think that the story here is that you've got to be an idiot to take a check on a craigslist ad.

BoA...have you guys tried to call its customer care?

"Thank you for calling Bank of Amerca customer care center. We are providing service exceeding your expectation..."

Indeed! I was expecting to wait for at least 15 mins to talk to a real person, and they hang me on the phone for 2 hrs before cutting me off.

Poor guy...he was a little too trusting for his own good.

Oh and clark howard has taken up his case.

First, what kind of idoit ships items with the assumption he or she will be paid. Even in the real business world, many companies get jacked around by buyers or customers who take forever to repay. Than this situation of someone using a business check that is probably stolen. WTF, a well ran company limit access either to the checkbook or if computer generated, to that program. I get the impression that the owner or management wasn't aware the company till was being dipped into by someone. Finally, I count only $450 spent if this guy's father went to a bail bondman. So did the lawyer(s) actually eat up over $13,000 or WTF?

Wow, an extra $1,400, how generous.

Although pretty much everybody agrees that the guy was an idiot for even thinking the check was real, there were many more working at BofA when they decided not to cut their losses in the court of public opinion.

Bank of America has sucked for years. I'd take money out to protest, if I'd ever bothered to give them any to begin with. I figure they would have to double the going interest rates to even begin to entice me to do business with them. I'm just not willing to hand my money over to scum like them even in the hope of better short term gains.

BoA has a very different logic. Arrest fraud victim? I will stay away.