Last month my banker called me to say she saw some suspicious activity on my account. It's not as if she was going over my account personally; no, I am sure they have an A.I. out there routinely servicing their clients' account searching for purchases that just don't seem like they "belong" to the patron; and that's exactly what it was. Some banks send you an email, some may simply note the account, keep an eye out and let you know only if it becomes a habit or pattern, but not my bank. Nope. My gal was calling me and saying in her sweet Southern accent, "Hey Jude, I think I see something on your account that doesn't make a lick of sense. Did you download anything from the UK recently?" The truth is that I had actually done that, but right behind the CD I had downloaded came two and maybe even three attempts to withdraw another amount, this time for services to an anti-virus protector but my banker was saying that it appeared that the two transactions were linked. (Turns out she was mistaken, but it did appear that way since the UK download was in fact from Scotland, and the anti-virus purchase was from England)
To be honest, the entire event was both upsetting and confusing as I knew the singer/artist whose CD I had just downloaded; knew him by reputation, and felt 100% certain that he would never have anything to do with the fraudulent acts that may or may not have been attached to his PayPal account as it was being evaluated by my bank's investigators. I let the man know immediately, and yeah, it was a bit embarrassing and maybe I could have been more subtle about it; looking back, I may have escalated his fears to a degree, but better safe than sorry. My bank immediately notified INTERPOL and they also gave my money back to me, changed the card I have with them and contacted PayPal to let them know their A.I. would place PayPal on a 180-day fraud alert to let them know they've got my back! I was happy. It's not every day every bank is so thorough and/or thoughtful.
I've always had a good rapport with my bankers! In Indianapolis I could be seen standing at the counter inside the Kroger store, where my bank was located, just talking and chatting it up with one of the 6 bankers that worked the small station. We ate out together, shopped together, brought small acceptable gifts to each other at birthdays, anniversaries. I even found a job for the wife of one of my bankers, and to my knowledge, after so many years, she's still working for the school district. Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know, and my bankers have always been supportive of my volunteer work, my rescues, you name it, if they could get involved and help the community in one way or the other, they did. I've never banked at larger banks either; that's the difference. I would rather work with smaller groups of people who are people-oriented and want to be the change! It always helps to know your banker's birthday and kid's names when you come up short on a payment to something too; they can spot you a quick loan for a day! Whew! That's happened more than once.
Yesterday I got another call from my banker -- this time it seems that someone I paid through PayPal again, was unable to get the money I sent because of the fraud alert. You guessed it, she lived in the UK, and had never used PayPal before, so my bank's A.I. picked up on the less than standard behavior of the transaction and put a hold on the amount I paid out to the artist for her newly released CD. She thought it was her fault and was greatly embarrassed having to contact me to ask for payment before sending the CD. I don't blame her! You don't give out your life's work on a promise - - no, she was 100% correct, but then again, so was my bank! I guess we just live in troubled times where anyone and everyone is trying to one-up or outdo the system some way or another. Well, it all got straightened out and even though it took me driving 7 miles to sign a waiver, it was worth it to know I'm not only protected, but I'm loved as well. My gal Linda offered me a sweet sugary cinnamon bun for my trouble. There's a bakery next door to the bank, and yes, for my trouble of having to drive up to the bank in person, she went next door and bought me this big, fat, juicy, sticky, oh-so-wonderful pastry!! Goodness, I love my bankers!
I could go on and on about them, and maybe I'll stop by and take a photo of them to print in my book if they're allowed to be photographed and mentioned by name. You have to go through Legal and be sure you're not out of compliance you know -- but let me tell you, no A.I. is as warm and fuzzy as any one of my sweet bankers - - and that goes for any one of them I've ever been associated with. You just can't beat real people with real faces, real hearts, real commitment, and true friendliness - - No, you just can't. Even during the pandemic, when we had to use the drive-through we were cracking jokes, giving air-fist-bumps through the windows, and holding up cards and notes to each other saying "LOVE YOU" or "CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN PERSON INSIDE!" It was just awful not being able to stand around and chat for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, have a cup of coffee and just go over the accounts and catch up on our lives! We survived. They were troopers! Thank you, Bankers. THANK YOU.
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