Frozen bank account?
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Has anyone ever had their bank account frozen? Any idea why it could be? I don't owe anything and have no balance on any credit lines nor do I owe back taxes. I couldn't get into my online banking over the weekend and I though it was just a fluke today I got a message saying "Account has been frozen." I called them all they can tell me is a government agency has requested it and they can't say anymore about why or who. Makes no sense to me. I have absolutely no money I can spend aside from the $5 in my pocket like this (without using credit of course). I though they'd have to tell you why or something.
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Ugg - ouch man.
Without tossing out any conspiracies I'd say it's probably the IRS. Back when I was really young this happened to me, though I can't recall if the bank told me which government agency shut me down.
You might reach out to the city/county/state district attorney and see if they can help you find out why your accounts are frozen.
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I don't suppose that you have an attorney ready to go? They are very handy to have.
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I'm pretty surprised that the bank isn't releasing info. This wouldn't happen to be a small town VA bank would it? Seems like a big national bank would be really careful to remain legal while small town ones often skirt the law.
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@scottalanmiller It's a credit Union.
I found out someone reported me to the IRS for money laundering. They have to investigate all reports they said nothing looks suspicious and they expect to have my money back within 48hrs though it can take 2 weeks.
I'm wondering if my former boss didn't make the report as a retaliatory act.
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Okay. Well that helps. At least you know you just have to sit tight for a little bit.
Life tip... Never let your employer know where your bank accounts are
Or work for companies with integrity. Government agencies are often not made if the most upstanding citizens. Fortune 500 work tends to protect you a lot.
Really sucks but at least you have some peace of mind. Any chance of a counter suit? You might be able to force them to divulge who pulled the prank. A lawyer could eat an ex-boss alive.
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@scottalanmiller I wish I didn't have to give the the info. Direct deposit was required as a term of employment there.
Yeah, this place is turning out to be a pretty corrupt government. I plan on staying away from government in the future. I'm applying for lost of other jobs at larger companies many have slightly higher job requirements than I can fulfill right away. (7-10 yrs experience etc) but, I figure if I can get an interview I have a good chance.
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Yeah, the IRS seemed the most likely gov't agency. Drag - hope you can manage without any funds for the next how ever long it lasts.
I'm not sure it matters if whomever reports you knows what bank you're with. If you've ever filed something with your taxes that shows interest, or used direct deposit when getting a refund from uncle sam, they already know what banks you are using.
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You can use separate bank accounts. One for DD and one for the real money. I don't but I tend to work at places either very trustworthy or regulated to a degree where it is better than trustworthy.
If my boss most places learned where my bank was he'd find himself with both the FBI and the SEC fighting over who got to press charges first with the IRS keeping an eye on the situation. That info is private with HR, not available to random people.
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A local credit union for DD and a Bank of America, HSBC or JPMorgan account for your real funds might make sense.
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@scottalanmiller said:
A local credit union for DD and a Bank of America, HSBC or JPMorgan account for your real funds might make sense.
Agreed.
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@scottalanmiller said:
You can use separate bank accounts. One for DD and one for the real money. I don't but I tend to work at places either very trustworthy or regulated to a degree where it is better than trustworthy.
If my boss most places learned where my bank was he'd find himself with both the FBI and the SEC fighting over who got to press charges first with the IRS keeping an eye on the situation. That info is private with HR, not available to random people.
Why does this matter - simply making the accusation will have the IRS looking into their own records of accounts they know you have, and can freeze those accounts.
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My lawyer has advised not to take any legal action against them for this and the other issues. Mainly because the court system here and judges are all employees of the same county I worked for, and getting a trail elsewhere is apparently hard. He thinks they'd likely win the cause simply because of that, as they don't want to lose their jobs.
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Dang. Sorry to hear that! I used to use a local CC for my banking, simply because my mom had worked there. However, I still have not found a better bank, in terms of customer service, than Chase. Every branch I go to, everywhere, the people are just going out of their way to be helpful. I have been impressed with their phone support too. Their website has a great interface and they're nationwide. I would look at Chase.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
You can use separate bank accounts. One for DD and one for the real money. I don't but I tend to work at places either very trustworthy or regulated to a degree where it is better than trustworthy.
If my boss most places learned where my bank was he'd find himself with both the FBI and the SEC fighting over who got to press charges first with the IRS keeping an eye on the situation. That info is private with HR, not available to random people.
Why does this matter - simply making the accusation will have the IRS looking into their own records of accounts they know you have, and can freeze those accounts.
Is it really the IRS doing the freezing? I am guessing no. If it were the retaliation for faking accusations could be incredible.
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Sounds like you live in a seriously corrupt area. I would truly move.
In all honesty, this sounds mostly like how New Yorkers picture that region. It's the southern equivalent of the mafia.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Sounds like you live in a seriously corrupt area. I would truly move.
In all honesty, this sounds mostly like how New Yorkers picture that region. It's the southern equivalent of the mafia.
East Tennessee is like that too. Its just as corrupt as the government in Dukes of Hazard
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They unfroze it. It was a pain but it's done. I'm glad hopefully all this stuff is over!
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Congrats. That had to be stressful.
Have you been checking your email, PMs or chat messages, BTW?
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@scottalanmiller I called her today. For some reason I never got a notification of a PM on ML though.
