We first published this large withdrawal questionnaire and guidance in December 2024 and numerous member banks have since adopted use of these documents when they felt their customer was being victimized by a scam.
With input from some of those users, we’ve made a few updates, which you can download in the links above.
We’d also like to share a success story. One of our members reached out to OBA’s fraud department recently when they had a customer withdraw funds from her trust to write large checks (totaling over $150,000!) for “home remodeling.” The checks were payable to an individual female and not a “remodeling” company. When she entered the bank to conduct a third withdrawal, the bank asked us for guidance. The bank then had a conversation with the customer where she insisted she knew what was going on. Still, the bank asked her to complete the aforementioned questionnaire (on which she was not truthful).
Eventually, she called the next day to stop the third withdrawal. She said after she thought about the questionnaire and her situation overnight, she realized she was being scammed.
We hate this bank customer lost so much money! We celebrate, however, she didn’t lose more thanks in part to the bank having that risk-aversion conversation, and asking her to complete the questionnaire.
This questionnaire, when signed by the customer and the bank, also serves as documented proof the bank counseled the customer on scams. This documented proof of counseling decreases the bank’s risk of a customer-filed lawsuit when funds are depleted.
If you have feedback on this questionnaire or the guidance (published in Microsoft Word to allow customization), we’d love to hear from you: email sharon@oba.com.