It is so ridiculous that the comment for a payment would be used against someone. Writing jokes in the 'for' line on a check is a time honored tradition when paying your friends money. I don't want to live in a world where I am not allowed to make jokes because it might get me a visit from the FBI.

I used to write vulgar stuff in the memo line like “hookers” or “blow”. Stupid college shit. One day my bank called me and said if I did it again they’d cancel my account. I asked the rep her name and promised to stop...

I wrote “fuck you sarah” for two years until I changed banks.

Sarah got punished twice there. First, being the one who had to make this unpleasant phone call, and then being the target of these notes.

Wow, you really showed her.

You should have used her manager's name instead.

I asked her if it was company policy and she said no, she just didn’t like it personally and would see it was made a policy.

It was a small town Christian credit union account my parents set up for me in high school to start building credit.

So fuck Sarah.

What an odd thing for a bank to do, police how someone uses a memo line in a check. At least you got your revenge on them.

It's my understanding that Venmo will flag transactions with certain words in the memo.

"I Tried to Venmo $12.66 for 'ISIS' and the Government Was Pissed

It turns out the Treasury Department doesn't appreciate my sense of humor."

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5gqyzd/i-tried-to-venmo-1...

Ironic given how Softcard used to be called Isis.

I wouldn't be surprised if they had to file a suspicious activity report for every one of those checks.

Sounds like you never grew out of "stupid college shit". I feel sorry for Sarah and anyone else on the receiving end of this type of behavior.

Making jokes in private is fine. But publicly declaring an intent to violate the law is a joke that is going to get attention from law-enforcement unless they can be convinced it's a joke.

Quite relevant: "Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US."

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16810312

Which is exactly why random bullshit payments shouldn't be public, and why Venmo defaulting to it (or even having it be an option) makes no sense.

"Cuba" is not declaring intent to violate the law, and investigating such a case seems like a poor use of law enforcement resources, since a) there are many legal transactions describable as "Cuba", and b) it depends on the violators being overt about their lawbreaking.

The payer could very well be referring to drinks at the Cuba Libre bar, or tickets for the Cuba Gooding Jr. movie/show.

The very point in question is about whether this information is public.

Guilty until proven funny?

Why is it important to put jokes there? I view a check as a pseudo-legal document. Do you slip jokes into the contracts you sign?

A long time ago, checks had to be deposited at a bank counter, in person. If I wanted to embarrass my payee, I'd write something risque or vulgar in the memo line. That way they would have to suffer that embarrassment if they wanted my money.

Yeah, it's juvenile. I don't understand why the FBI would care though. There's a 0% chance that a real terrorist is writing "ISIS" on their checks to fund terror.

I would agree, I don't really understand the logic in this thread. You're literally giving the check to a bank who is then going to have read it and look at what it's for and who you're sending the money too - and part of their job is to decide if it is legitimate, or if they should ask you about it, etc. If you put something extremely suspicious or flat-out illegal in the memo line, I would presume they're obligated to at least report it, or else they could be on the hook if it turns out it was actually true and they let it go with no questions asked.

I draw smiley faces on the signature line at stores and restaurants pretty often.

I don't want to live in that kind of world either, but it goes on existing around me all the same.

Too late, you already live in that world.

A friend in college got a fun letter from the Comptroller of the Currency after writing “A Night in Tehran” on a reimbursement for Iranian food in Chicago.

Did that happen to be the name of the restaurant?