Brentology.com

The work week is over and I am so glad. Even after being violated at the gas station again today I am able to smile because tomorrow is a day off. Yesterday was a bad day. My branch was the victim of fraud by a customer who I was dealing with. A customer who opened up and shared all his info on his business, life, and everything else to make a good conversation and make what seemed like the beginning of a good business relationship. This guy was a genuine con artist and said all the right things, provided all the right documents and knew what he was doing. Luckily, I was able to limit the amount of money scammed to $885. It could have been a lot more and I'm sure with all the work he put into it, he was hoping to get a lot more. After noticing a promised wire from another bank did not come in, something just did not feel right so I placed a "hard hold" on his new accounts and started calling other banks. Luckily, bank security departments are more than willing to share info and I discovered some bad things he has done, and was attempting to do at a number of banks. I will say this, we were lucky it was only $885. Others got hit for more. So my day was spent trying to stop this fraud at my bank and recover the money that we did lose as well as deal with my own feelings that I let my guard down. This is not the first instance I have had with people like this, but have always been able to prevent fraud in the past, so this was my first time that someone I personally and soley dealt with got away with it. You know that sinking feeling you get you get when you know something is just not right? I had it as he pulled out of the parking lot with his first handful of money. By the time he got to another branch, I had shut him down, but only after some damage was done. This did not sit well with me. I wish I could go into detail about these kind of experiences with every customer who bitches about not being able to leave the bank with large amounts of money from a check they just walked in the door with. There are many safety features built into bank systems to prevent this kind of thing, but banks have also incorporated aspects that balance security with being customer friendly and releasing funds in certain instances. Clever con artists work to exploit these aspects and with this weak link and an inattentive teller, he got away with it.

But the day did end on a better note as Alison and I went to the Andy Warhol Museum and took in the current exhibition of works by Henry Darger and Grayson Perry. Some culture and a quick dinner made for an enjoyable museum visit. I enjoy admiring art with Alison because she is a great source of information and a great guide for an amateur like me who likes looking for the substance and meaning in art. I probably wasn't the best company after my day at work, but we still had fun. And if it wasn't for the rainy night, we would have walked more of the downtown cultural district. I hope to do that adventure with her at a later date.