how has this cheque gone through?

angelcake

I bought goods up to the value of £24.00 in Boots, I know I haven't signed the cheque! I assumed the cheque would come back to me but I have checked my balance and it has gone through!!! how has this happened and what can I do??

btw it wasn't done intentional!

derrick

angelcake wrote:

I bought goods up to the value of £24.00 in Boots, I know I haven't signed the cheque! I assumed the cheque would come back to me but I have checked my balance and it has gone through!!! how has this happened and what can I do??

btw it wasn't done intentional!

Not sure how or why it went through, but does it matter? you bought/received the goods and now you have paid for them, you said it wasn't done intentionally, so I would leave it, you can't gain anything from following this on.

angelcake

That is not the point! How can a cheque go through unsigned! it is illegal to sign someone elses signature and I used to work in a bank so I know that ANY unsigned cheque would be sent back!

its the fraud involved that concerns me!

windym_2

Any cheque that is deposited at a bank is not specifically checked unless the value is over £5000. Anything paid over the counter under this amount is not scrutinised unless a) the cashier spots a mistake b) there is a report made by the payee/payer after the cheque has been cashed. The cheque can then be retrieved and investigated.

Unless you 'double' paid by giving another means of payment aswell, then I don't understand the "what can I do" question? As derrick says, you have had the goods and paid the amount.

windym_2

angelcake wrote:

I used to work in a bank so I know that ANY unsigned cheque would be sent back!

its the fraud involved that concerns me!

Then you will know that what I have just said about counter payments is correct. Unless specifically picked up by the cashier, it would be honoured. There is NO fraud unless someone has signed it on your behalf.

angelcake

Every cheque is scrutinised, signatures are checked! otherwise what is the point?!?!?!

Woby_Tide

I think you've just confirmed that every cheque isn't scrutinised and checked for signatures?

windym_2

angelcake wrote:

Every cheque is scrutinised, signatures are checked! otherwise what is the point?!?!?!

This is NOT the case. The cheque clearing system would grind to a halt. That is why the banking system accepts that a cheque under 'a significant amount' which is agreed as £5000, is not scrutinised.

If I go to HSBC and pay in 1 cheque, then the cashier is very likely to scrutinise it. However if I paid in 400 cheques, the cashier does not scrutinise every cheque, but stamp my paying in book. If there is a discrepancy in the paying-in amount, then I would be notified by post in due course. Any other discrepancies, ie the mis-spelling of a sirname or missing signature, would not be actioned unless the payee/payer specifically requested this once the cheque has cleared. If a mis-dated cheque was paid in (ie one that is over 6 months old) then the system would pick that up.

Don't ask me the whys and wherefores, but that is the case with the major High Street banks.

I still don't see what you problem is with it. If you think someone has signed your cheque then you should ask your bank to have it returned (you will probably have to pay a fee) or you report it to the Police.

dunstonh

and I used to work in a bank so I know that ANY unsigned cheque would be sent back!

I used to work in a bank and can tell you that they are not. Each bank has a floor limit where cheques under that value are not checked. Indeed, I recall a time i found a small value cheque unsigned, suggested we return it but the manager said no as it was below the floor limit.

It is financially impossible for every cheque to be checked for errors.

worried_and_confused

angelcake wrote:

Every cheque is scrutinised, signatures are checked! otherwise what is the point?!?!?!

Not true. Millions of cheques are sent every year and the man hours involved would be ridiculous.

Woby_Tide

windym wrote:

This is NOT the case. The cheque clearing system would grind to a halt. That is why the banking system accepts that a cheque under 'a significant amount' which is agreed as £5000, is not scrutinised.

Not sure it's always that high, I've had a return on one for just less than £1.5k in the past due to an error on the cheque