Trust@US

@UCLA Campus, took on the way to class this morning

Several days ago, I received my BOA credit card and check book from BOA after I opened the bank account there. I was very excited to receive my personal check book from the bank as this is maybe the first time in my whole life to receive my check book, which means I could write a check to someone else or to pay for shopping, is that sound cool for most people who may never see a check in their own country as they may be not a financial guy.

Well…that’s exactly just what I felt when I received the check book. So I just took a photo of my check book and posted on the Wechat ( a Chinese application similar to whatsapp or line). Just for a while, my friend on wechat sent me message to told me that it is dangerous to do that as people could use the information on the check book to pay their own bill……..only at that moment, I found that on the check book there are lots of personal information and also the bank information on it, just like, your name, address,rooting number, checking account number. But I still wondered if people could use the rooting number and checking account number to pay their own bill…..do that sound not logical..as whenever you write a check to other people, they will know the information, how could you make sure the information wouldn’t spread or you would never lose your check. If such dangerous, why in US, the bank still keep the check and people in U.S. still love to use checks.

After class, I went to BOA branch office near campus and consulted  with them, and they told me people do could use the rooting number and checking number to pay online, so she herself still use checks but only write to friends. The reason why the banks still keep check is that most people, especially the elder ones, they still love to use checks. As for the security concerns, she didn’t provide me a good answer, just informed me to monitor my own account, if there is nothing happen, I could just still use it, but if someone else use my information to pay, just let them know, they will help me get back the money and send me another account.

To me, it sounds not safe and comfortable to worry about that. So I just change my account number ( checking number) at the desk and request a new check book.

I think maybe the banks received lots of worries and problems people as I would ask them.  In U.S. maybe almost nobody would use other people’s bank information to pay their own bill. They still use check as they already build a society with trust to each other. And the punishment of using other people’s check book information would be very heavy, so nobody would gonna risk to do this, even though technically speaking,people could do those.

Maybe it’s a kind of culture shack to me, I will find more things interesting later.

Well…update… I wen to see the movie Elysium yesterday night…A hero story in America style… Matt Damon came to Regency Village Theater last weekend. ….

@ Regency Village Theater