Yesterday an incident occurred that bothered me so I took some precautions. I went to the bank at lunch to withdraw cash for the following week. I use cash rather than debit or credit so I take out the budgeted amount each payday. I normally go the small bank branch at the grocery store in a nice downtown location not far from work. I do my errands before the lunch traffic starts, between 10:30-11 a.m. I did notice that the parking lot is no longer patrolled as it was earlier this year.
I went to the first available teller. She looked like she just started working there, as I am familiar with the staff. I try to be quick and discreet at the bank; speak in low tones and have the teller count the bills behind the counter instead of on top where everyone can see. Unfortunately, the new teller was not quite so discreet. I asked to withdraw $450 and she loudly asked, “Would you like your $450 in large bills, Ma’am?” First I thought, gee, why’d she have to be so loud, and I hope to get out of here quickly, then I got this odd feeling of someone staring at me. I looked over and this guy at the next teller was staring intently at me. I don’t mean glancing or curiously looking, I mean a deep, unflinching stare. He did not even look away when I looked over at him. Of course he heard every word. I thought to myself, I do not like the way that man was listening in and looking at me. It was a very strange feeling that made me uneasy. So I told the lady to cancel my transaction. I told her, “On second thought, cancel it and I will come back later.” I took back my withdrawal slip and walked away.
I went to the adjoining grocery store, got a shopping cart even though I did not need anything and started looking around the store. I did not want anyone following me to my car. I wandered around the aisles for a while until I felt safe enough to go back to my car. I left the bank errand for later.
Today as I run though the incident in my mind, I wonder if I did the right thing. After all, the guy could have been harmless, and I may have been “profiling” him because he was dressed in baggy gang type attire, young, etc. On the other hand, I have heard a lot of crime victims who describe getting that strange feeling but for some reason did not listen to their gut, or did not want to seem rude and ended up as victims of crime. I do not want to end up as a crime victim. Part of having a survival mindset is to evaluate your environment and trust your own instinct. I don’t care if anyone calls me paranoid–I do not regret beating a hasty exit.
The Apartment Prepper's Blog 
You did the right thing.
I was in a credit union the other day and as I was standing in line, I overheard a teller counting out over $600 in $20 dollar bills to a petite female that could have easily been easily physically assaulted and robbed. I understand why tellers count out the money, but more discretion should be used when large sums are involved.
Better to be safe than sorry. 🙂
You did the right thing! Always better safe than sorry, for sure. We have that little inner voice that tells us when something isn’t right for a reason. The fact that the guy stared right back at you would have really made me uncomfortable. I’m glad you used your head and played it safe!
Have you ever read The Gift of Fear, by Gavin DeBecker? Too often we ignore our instincts.
I have not read it, but am adding it to my book list now. Thanks!
Yeah, good call. It may have been nothing, but it’s better to not take that chance.
You did the right thing, I always use an ATM for cash withdrawals because I get a better OPSEC vibe than being inside the bank.
When your Spidey sense goes up a few notches, you have to listen to it. It is rarely wrong. You did the right thing. Most people would have withdrawn the money and not even look around. I don’t like grocery store branches for that very reason. Too public. I will go to an ATM at my bank’s branch either early in the morning or after the bank closes and will deposit funds or withdraw funds that way. To me it is very discreet and there is no other human interaction, except maybe the guy behind you in the car, who just wants his 60 dollars…
First, had you not publicly cancelled the transaction while the man was staring at you, the moment you took possession of the funds, you could have been a victim. If not right that moment, it could have been as you were pulling into the parking space outside your building. You were very smart to be aware. That is one thing that I always tell people. You MUST be aware of your surroundings, whether the grocery store, the bank, a restaurant/bar when you walk in, etc. Each environment has a separate level of alertness you should be aware of…
Good job for noting your surroundings. And good job for not being a victim. Remain vigilant.
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I agree, you did the right thing. Always trust you intuition and play it safe when it goes off. Better to be a touch paranoid than to wind up getting jacked for your money or worse!