Black Man Handcuffed After Bank Teller Claimed His Check Was Fraudulent

A black man from Ohio was put in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police car after a bank teller called the police when he attempted to cash a paycheck from his new job. Paul McCowns said he went to a Huntington Bank branch and showed two forms of identification and had his fingerprints checked, which is standard procedure at the bank for customers who do not have an account. 

Despite having all of his information checked out, the bank teller refused to cash his check. They tried to call his employer to verify whether the check was legitimate but were unable to get a hold of him. McCowns said that he decided to leave the bank without getting the check cashed and was approached by police officers in the parking lot. 

“I get in my truck and the squad car pull in front of me and he says get out the car,” McCowns said. “It was highly embarrassing, highly embarrassing.”

The officers handcuffed McCowns and placed him in the back of a squad car while they tried to verify if his check was real.

The officers were able to get a hold of McCowns' boss who told them that the check was legitimate. 

“My employer said, ‘Yes he works for me. He just started and yes, my payroll company does pay him that much,’” McCowns explained.

The bank has seen multiple cases of fraud in the past few months, with police making ten arrests. As a result, the bank tellers have been on the lookout for cases of potential fraud.

The bank issued a statement apologizing for the incident. 

“We sincerely apologize to Mr. McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns. Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving.”

McCowns believes that the bank teller and the police profiled him because he is black. He was able to cash his check the following day at a different Huntington Bank branch without incident.