Someone Is About To Get Cut Off

I am a teller in a bank. It is the early 2000s, before you could check your accounts from your pocket. There is a college student that comes in every few weeks to withdraw cash from an account shared with his parents. This is a pretty normal setup, and many parents provide a college fund for their kids to dip into. One day, a couple in their fifties come into the bank looking panicked.

Man: “There must be a mistake with our accounts. Our savings account should have $20,000 in it.”

Me: “Okay, let me get your information, and we can see what’s going on.”

I get all the account information and pull up all their info. They are clearly not wealthy but not poor. The man indicates which account he is concerned with.

Me: “So, your current balance is [a few thousand]. Is there a reason you were expecting it to be higher? I can look up your recent transactions.”

The man is not angry but very concerned.

Man: “We never take anything out of that savings account. We’ve been saving for a home renovation.”

As I am pulling up the account history, the name of the couple clicks in my head. They are the parents of the student who makes regular withdrawals. I show the long list of withdrawals to the couple. The man is still polite and clearly getting scared.

Man: “This can’t be right. We didn’t do any of that. That makes no sense. Did you mix up our savings with someone else’s?”

I know I am going to be the one to tell them the truth.

Me: “Is there anyone else that has access to this account?”

Man: “No, it’s just us.”

The woman goes white and says nothing.

Me: “It says here there are cards issued to [Man], [Woman], and [Student].”

Man: “But [Student] wouldn’t do this. We gave him the card just for emergencies, if his car breaks down, or if he needs a new textbook. He wouldn’t…”

The couple was devastated as they went over the withdrawals, adding up to well over ten grand over about a year and a half. They seemed shocked about the money, but the wife said it killed them to learn that their son took advantage of them. No one at the bank ever saw any of them again.