Would you accept a Cashier Check for payment?

[sheilasabo]

This is the first I've heard about the civil forfeiture thing. We've been buying and selling RV's, cars, trucks, motorcycles etc. for cash for years and never had any trouble. And have never been stopped by the police for anything. I guess it you appear guilty that could get you stopped. We have a hot rod and have never been bothered in that and have traveled a lot and never bothered then. I had to ask a cop friend about it. He was aware of it but not to rip off normal people but to deal with drug and other crimes. You do have to be careful of scams. We're still going to deal in cash.

[Thomcat316]

Originally Posted by sheilasabo

I had to ask a cop friend about it. He was aware of it but not to rip off normal people but to deal with drug and other crimes. You do have to be careful of scams. We're still going to deal in cash.

Not All Departments. That said, some jurisdictions use Civil Asset Forfeiture as a significant percentage of their departmental budget. Be up to date on the legality of Civil Forfeiture before traveling with cash you can't afford to give away.

John Oliver did a good primer on the topic: https://youtu.be/3kEpZWGgJks

He doesn't exaggerate the problem.

[Makwell]

We bought our Casita from a fellow in the Houston area and took a cashiers check to pay for it. Had to wait 24 hours for it to clear.

[sheilasabo]

Sorry, I don't think John Oliver, at least not for me, is a good person to base my decision on. Not exaggerated?? He's a comedian. We should take that seriously? As soon as I heard the canned laughter, I turned it off. I think this is somehow political, and I'm not going any further with it.

This is what Wikipedia said: John William Oliver is an English comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian, both in the United Kingdom and United States. en.wikipedia.org

[Kai in Seattle]

Be very cautious when asked,

"Tenny mucho mucho deniro in su travelly-trailer?"


So far we have escaped that horror.


"K"

[Captleemo]

Civil forfeiture is real and there are countless horror stories about the abuse of that law that should chill every American. Google it if you don't believe it. Here is one example of whats out there. https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal...rfeiture-abuse

[Thomcat316]

Originally Posted by sheilasabo

Sorry, I don't think John Oliver, at least not for me, is a good person to base my decision on.

Nope, not political in the least, unless you can find a left/right political angle to law enforcement taking your cash and assets without trial, and almost without recourse. It's real, and as I mentioned in another post, very irregularly applied. "Not All Departments", I think I said. Worth researching, especially if you're sometimes in the position of travelling with cash.

As for John Oliver, I find his "Last Week Tonight" to be a pretty well researched news source, and usually funny, also. He generally takes a fairly deep dive - as deep as 25 minutes allows - into a single topic, provides sources and references as part of the commentary, and generally presents things in the light of "what would a morally decent person do?" He leans generally left, though of fifteen clips I just looked over on the YouTube channel, I only saw "Drain The Swamp" and "Brett Kavanaugh" as being potentially primarily political.

The segment on Civil Asset Forfeiture that I linked to is informative, and will leave you with directions for further research.

PS - I think the reason he, and Jon Stewart, similarly, use humor is that it's very hard to get folks in general to consume drier analysis. The humor can hold the attention, while the issues under discussion get heard. There is a long tradition of this, especially regarding social issues. Mel Brooks, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Chris Rock... Many more.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Thomcat316

As for John Oliver, I find his "Last Week Tonight" to be a pretty well researched news source, and usually funny, also. He generally takes a fairly deep dive - as deep as 25 minutes allows

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've done large value deals where we go together to a local branch of the buyer's bank, and the bank issues the cashiers check in the sellers presence.... I've done this as the buyer, and as the seller, and its worked out just fine in both cases.

[Kai in Seattle]

We like John Oliver, too, and have found him to be generally telling us the truth, even if we do see the humor in it. A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down...


"K"

[Kai in Seattle]

John in Santa Cruz: agreed, done it ourselves, works fine. The clerk did take Paul a step aside and said, "You don't have to do this...I can block it." almost as if she were a neighbor and knew the guy and the trailer...

She was giving us a good out, and from some lights we shoulda listened...but 9 original months, teaks for years, thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and a major, intense renovation later, it worked out ok.

"I am in blood. Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er." William Shakespeare, MacBeth, Act 3.


Sometimes the only way out of trouble is through. We got through Peanut and now we like it a whole lot. Would we do it again? NO!




As for the civil forfeiture: this is the first we've heard of it regarding cash, but we long have known about eminent domain, where the State can seize your Real property for some causes. Running a meth lab is one...location needed for freeway off-ramp, another, etc.

[Thomcat316]

Huh.

I would've thought that "meth lab" was soundly in the Civil Forfeiture space. Ask sometime about the mobile meth lab I followed on the night I decided to never move to Washington, DC.

[Kai in Seattle]

Good point, but I thought civil forfeiture was for cash...otherwise, yeah.

Mobile meth lab like in Breaking Bad? NEVER to move to Washington, D.C....sounds like a story!


"K"

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Good point, but I thought civil forfeiture was for cash...otherwise, yeah.

Mobile meth lab like in Breaking Bad? NEVER to move to Washington, D.C....sounds like a story!


"K"

google 'civil forfeiture abuse' and be prepared for some serious disillusionment. while the concept is fine, actual convicted criminals *should* lose their criminal gains, many police forces have used it to confiscate valuable property from people who were just suspects, and you have no recompense even if you're proven innocent. cars, aircraft, houses, commercial property, cash, bank accounts, its all fair game. this money and property disappears into an un-monitored slush fund.

[Jon in AZ]

I agree. There’s been a lot of reporting from credible sources of various political bents on this issue. Attempts to rein in the practice have stalled, mainly because it’s a cash cow for law enforcement. The alternative is raising taxes or cutting other programs, both politically unpalatable.

It’s just one of many reasons not to transport large sums of cash. As a buyer, if a seller insisted on cash and the amount was over $5K, it would happen at a branch of my bank or not at all.

I would like to return to the issue of stop payments on cashier’s checks from the seller’s perspective. My banker said the buyer can stop payment on a cashier’s check “just like a personal check.” I did not ask for additional clarification at the time.

However, I am reading several places that (1) it can only be stopped in case of theft or loss, (2) the funds are transferred from the payer to the bank at the time it is issued, and (3) it is guaranteed by the issuing bank for 90 days to the payee. If actual verified payee negotiates the check within that window, the stop payment would be invalidated.

If that's all true, or even part of it, it's not "just like a personal check."

That assumes it’s genuine of course, which would be the case if one were physically present at the buyer’s bank when it was issued.

I’d sure appreciate more clarity before I have another talk with my banker.

[Rzrbrn]

Dickson county, just west of Nashville, TN, especially on I-40, is notorious for civil forfeiture stops; there was a big expose on a local news channel.

[EdBlock]

This is an old scam. Ive sold two vehicles online and both times I received cashiers checks from scammers that turned out to be forgeries. Luckily the first time my bank alerted me. The second time I alerted the bank to double-check as they were about to accept it for deposit. Looked like a real Wells Fargo cashiers check but the account number was bogus.

[Kai in Seattle]

Breaking news for me. We transacted at a mutual bank branch, no worries...lots of other options, far more worries!

Civil forfeiture sounds like a nightmare of corruption!

"K"

[sassyinpink]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Breaking news for me. We transacted at a mutual bank branch, no worries...lots of other options, far more worries!

Civil forfeiture sounds like a nightmare of corruption!

"K"

it is. i have not been unlucky enough to encounter civil forfeiture myself, but i have friend who have been very unlucky.


nightmare to sort it, not to mention the financial losses.

[ScamperWillow]

Bank transfer all the way!!!
I recently purchased a Scamp in another state. I had my father-in-law view/inspect trailer in person initially. I transferred $1k honor funds into sellers account until my father-in-law could arrive 3 days later to inspect the trailer and I had the seller send me an electronic “receipt” for my deposit, I also had the paper trail receipt from bank transfer as well - then as soon as I got the “thumbs up” text from my father-in-law that this trailer was a good purchase I transferred the remaining balance of purchase price to sellers account and had them provide father-in-law a hard copy receipt of payment, signed title docs, etc.
Everyone was happy, it was easy and relatively quick because I was a serious buyer. The seller appreciated the immediate receipt of funds in their account.
I LOVE my new-to-me Scamp camper!
Do bank transfer of funds, everyone can rest easy at every step of the way.