I think I got punked!

[Catherine Vincent]

Here's the story. A friend of mine that lives in the next state called me and asked if he could use my checking account to file for his income tax. He said the card has to be attached to a bank account and not one of those VISA atm cards that you pick up at a Walgreens. So I agreed to this and told him when his money comes in, I will mail it to him. Okay, fine...that seemed simple enough. Then the next day, I find out that they withdrew $70 from my account to file this income tax. I called him and said I thought they would deduct this when he receives his return... he said he thought so too. He told me to just take out the $70 when his return is deposited. I said okay, fine. So two weeks later, I get a call from him and we chat a while then he tells me he is going shopping. Right now he is unemployed and collecting unemployment. I tell him that it must be nice to go shopping (me knowing that he is unemployed and he is usually broke). Then he tells me that he received his return. "I said what?" He says his daughter had brought the mail to him the other day and was handing him a letter and he asked her if it was a bill (yeah right) and he said it was his return. I said "I thought it was supposed to be direct deposited in my account and I would send the money to you?" He said no, I guess they decided to mail it. Then he said he will send me the $70. I have a feeling I won't see it and believe that he knew all along that he was receiving his check in the mail. He probably didn't have the $70 to file by the deadline and instead of asking me for the $70, he duped me into using my account.

So am I right? Did I get punked?

[BurtWorm]

1. I don't know if punked is the right word.

Scammed maybe? This must be a pretty good friend, I hope.

PS: I mean "good" in the narrow sense of, someone you know well enough to lend money to. Not the other sense obviously!

[Catherine Vincent]

4. Yeah, he's a good friend. We used to date.

I don't think I'll see that money because I know he doesn't like to pay his debts.

[BurtWorm]

6. Hope you don't need it.

Some people!

[rucky]

2. You'll know in under a week. n/t

[realisticphish]

3. see

if it were me, i would have just asked for the 70 bucks

[alphafemale]

5. Is he worth the $70? Because you likely aren't going to see it again.

He may have not deliberately punked you, but that money is going to fly through his fingers pretty damn fast and since you can't turn off his lights or repo his car you, frankly, are not going to be a priority.

The guy doesn't have a job or a bank account. This does not necessarily make him a "bad" person, but it is a pretty good indicator that he is not very reliable financially.

I ask you again.

Is his friendship worth $70? If it is tell him at the end of the week to forget about it. Tell him to consider it a gift. And then really and truly put it out of your mind forever.

If his friendship is NOT worth $70...again. Consider it a gift. Put it and him out of your mind completely and forever. You've probably walked away on the cheap...in the long wrong run.