Don't Deviate From Generally Accepted Banking Practices
The county attorney wouldn't ask a bank to do something that was wrong, would he? Well, in the case of Pratt County Tom Black from Kansas, the answer may be yes. He has been charged with misusing public funds after allegedly taking money orders, cash, and a check made payable to Pratt County Attorney and cashing them at a local bank. Do your tellers understand that if a check or money order is made payable to an entity (rather than an individual), they should not allow it to be cashed, nor should they allow it to be deposited into any account other than one belonging to the named payee? It's easy to be dissuaded from following prudent practices when the person asking you to do so is a person holding a position of trust -- such as the county attorney -- but this case serves as a reminder that those who commit fraud can come from all kinds of backgrounds. Prudent banking policies exist for a purpose and they must be followed without deviation.