Tainted Currency

Posted By: etm614

Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 01:59 PM

Two of our branches were recently presented with blood-stained currency to exchange for "clean" bills. Although we do have gloves and cleaner available, I am still concerned about exposing our staff to serious bio hazards (I know that money is very dirty anyway). Do we have to accept this currency?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 02:38 PM

This is one time I think I would call the local police. (1) to let them know about the blood stains, [Do you know where the blood stains came from?] and (2) maybe they can tell you the best way to handle the currency.
Posted By: BankerMama

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 04:13 PM

Why would you have to accept it? I can't think of any reason. You didn't say how much it was but an exchange of currency over $10,000 is also reportable. Bet that would stop them
Posted By: 1 Peter 5:7

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 04:38 PM

I'd call the police before accepting. It may be evidence of a crime.
Posted By: Tisa

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 06:05 PM

Quote:

Two of our branches were recently presented ...



Was it the same person at both branches? Doesn't that make it a little more suspicious, even...
Posted By: Spladoodle

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/04/04 10:08 PM

Also, customer or non-customer? Our branch employees can't seem to grasp that they don't have to do exchanges for non-customers. We keep getting hit with short-change artists. (Surprisingly, I guess there are still a few of those around.)

One teller said "I thought I could keep up with him".

Guess what, he didn't!
Posted By: thomasj

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/07/04 01:08 PM

Several years ago, we had the police bring us a large amount of currency that was recovered from a ....uh..... body cavity search . They provided the teller with gloves and protective gear. I think that the cash was sent in to the fed as we would with damaged currency, such as burned or uncountable currency. I personally would not ask any of our tellers to count that money or the blood stained money that the original poster described. Tellers are not compensated well enough to be asked to do that.
Posted By: etm614

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/07/04 04:18 PM

To answer some of your questions. There were two different individuals, both customers. One explained that he was the victim of a shooting (becoming common in our small city), the other was not asked about the stains. The amounts were small both times - less than $100. Calling local law enforcement didn't seem warranted. I was just worried that there was some obscure requirement that as a financial institution we had to accept currency. I want to be able to state that our tellers do not have to accept this money without fear of litigation.
Posted By: Coffee Roaster

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/07/04 05:41 PM

Quote:

One explained that he was the victim of a shooting (becoming common in our small city), the other was not asked about the stains.



Sounds like a rough city! You may want to add dodging bullets as a hobby!

I would still report it to the police (regardless of the amount) because you never know if there was other money involved that just wasn't being deposited/exchanged. The money is actually evidence of a crime that was comitted (if indeed there was a shooting). In any case it warrants investigation by the authorities. I don't think you would want to find out later that you helped "launder" money from a crime. Soapbox over (sorry for the rant)

It is also interesting that you had two customers with blood stained money. Were they at different branches on the same day? Could this be from the same shooting?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/07/04 08:44 PM

What if the money was not bloody, but taken out of someone's shoe and all sweaty and gross? Do we have to accept that?
Posted By: TTC Queen

Re: Tainted Currency - 06/08/04 01:39 PM

Many years ago--back when dinosaurs still roamed the parking lots--a 19 year old teller, working in a stand alone booth outside, called me to ask if she had to accept some cash for a deposit. When I questioned her about the cash, she said the customer was a very very very large woman who pulled the currency from deep inside her bra. To make it worse, the temperature was around 100, she had no air conditioning and was "glowing" profusely.

She had already accepted the deposit and had spread it out to dry in her booth. She was asking for future reference.