Bank Manager Helps Thwart $25K Con Of 80-Year-Old

[Are_grits_groceries]

A manager at Chemical Bank in Midland, Michigan, grew suspicious when he saw Marion Case, an 80-year-old customer, withdraw $25k from her account last December. Case told him she was going to mail it to someone who would then pass it along to her son. The manager, Carl Ahearn, "remained suspicious. He followed her as she walked to the nearby post office, where Case bought an Express Mail envelope addressed to a man in New Jersey. Ahearn shared his concerns with postal officials, who opened an investigation and arrested a man Monday for fraud."

Elan Saraf, 45, of Newark, N.J., a flight attendant with Continental Airlines, was arrested Monday and charged with mail fraud as he landed in New Jersey on an international flight. Two other current or former Continental flight attendants are identified as having been involved in the alleged fraud, but have not been accused of wrongdoing.

"The investigation is still ongoing and the case has the potential to be much larger," said Wylie Christopher, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Detroit.

"We're just grateful that citizens are willing to go above and beyond to make sure those who do things wrong pay for their actions."

http://consumerist.com/5314274/bank-manager-helps-thwart-25k-con-of-80+year+old

Good on him!

[lamp_shade]

1. K&R (but I noticed that somebody had Unrec'd this thread... either a freeper troll

or maybe just a disgruntled DUer).

[dipsydoodle]

3. There are some complete weirdos on here these days

I've rec'd to compensate.

[blueworld]

10. It could have been a mistake....

The position of the unrec is new, and I've caught myself twice nearly hitting the unrec when I meant rec.

[Pool Hall Ace]

2. Uh-oh, somebody is on the path to be Michael Madoff's roomie in BUTTnerrr!

[roguevalley]

14. that bank guy is AWESOME. Bless his heart and that poor old

woman, who some satanic fuck tried to con. I don't know how some people stand their own stink.

[SheilaT]

4. While I certainly cannot condone

stealing money from people this way, this may be just one indicator of how badly paid flight attendants are.

[blueamy66]

6. Really?

:eyes:

[Javaman]

11. um, okay then.

:eyes:

[paulsby]

12. bwahahahahahahaha!

right. just as securities fraud "may be just one indicator of how badly paid" brokers are.

[Ikonoklast]

16. Who fucking cares, they are CRIMINALS.

If the job they AGREED to do didn't pay enough, QUIT, and get another fucking job that pays MORE MONEY.


God, people are stupid.


Would you justify stealing from your employer to augment your low salary?

Or if it's just strangers, that's OK?

[SheilaT]

17. Guess I needed the irony glyph.

So sorry.

[Mari333]

5. oh my goodness, thats why I told my 83 yr old mother

never ever believe anyone
I also told her to call me immediately if she is ever asked to sign anything or someone wants money from her ..I told her never to give out her information to anyone
she does call me, and its amazing how many 'offers' are made to her and her friends
I dont know why one becomes naive at her age..she so trusting..I am a horrific cynic and hope to stay that way if I reach 83. maybe its just her generation.

[charlie]

7. On the other end

I routinely remind my young son, to the point of annoyance, that it's much easier to be consistently wary than to untangle himself from involvement with a huckster.

[Mari333]

8. true true

I remember when my oldest son was 15 and got caught up in a scam to buy music tapes. he lost a lot of his money. I warned him, but he didnt listen, so I let him 'learn' his lesson. he learned.

[dugaresa]

9. i know much much younger folks who have been taken in

i know this all to personally.

imagine a person who has their career messed up by a huckster who promises everything and then screws someone over. imagine this happening during a time when jobs aren't so plentiful and that person gave up a great and secure job for a scam.

having been a cynic all my life I can't comprehend how trusting folks can be.

[roguevalley]

15. a study concluded that they are lonely and these people make

efforts to be friendly and nice and they fall for it, the darlings. People who do this should burn.

[Statistical]

13. LIAR. All bankers are evil. (/sarcasm for the sarcasm detecting impaired)