Bank withdrawals

[Ukwriter79]

Hi all. I'm working on a story involving a kidnapping story line. The kidnapper wants half a million (pounds). Without giving much of the plot away, the victims loved one is being tricked by one or more people (depending on how things work with him acquiring the money.) The bank have already been informed that he needs money for a business deal and have arranged a meeting. He goes to it but tells them he needs the cash now. How might he leave with that sort of cash to pay the ransom? Could there be another way of getting the cash?

 

[Rob_Royale]

There's that Nigerian Prince that keeps emailing me.

Or, at that same moment the bank is robbed in an elaborate heist. He sees an opportunity to get the cash he needs in the chaos and escapes just after the robbers. But he was seen and now has to try to pay the random and save his loved one before the cops close in.

 

[CuttingEdge]

Kind of a tough situation because what you are describing is cash, and the monetary world no longer works with cash; everything is wired money.

You kind of have two problems here if you are looking for real world plausibility. To go into a bank and ask for a huge sum of cash would raise a lot of red flags. In the United States any transaction over $9999 requires the Federal Regulators to be notified. The other issue is, banks no longer have a lot of cash. I used to deal in cash only, but today it is almost impossible to do that because back when I used to any transaction over $7000 would literally clean out the bank. Several times I was told to come back the next day to get the remaining money, or they had to put in an order of sorts, to have the cash brought to the bank specifically for me. None of that really makes for engaging kidnapping stories.

But all is not lost. Cash is just fancy paper assigned a value, but you can get that in other ways. Gold, silver, palladium are other ways, and whoever said "money does not grow on trees" is stupid; just ask any person with a huge tract of forest land. I just sold a gravel pit, and while that is 'just dirt', I assure you, the right kind of dirt has value. Any of these could be traded for the safe return of a loved one. They just sign over the deed, or the rights to it.

In your situation though, you might go with jewelry instead. It would be plausible, and yet such a tiny item has a lot of value so you would not have the issue of a massive physical item to contend with. It also operates outside of the direct control of government and pretty easy to conjure up a story where Great Grandma had some almost priceless necklace given to her for safe keeping during the Great War.

 

[sirhugs]

the robber did not read the sign very carefully...it is a sperm bank

 

[Ukwriter79]

Kind of a tough situation because what you are describing is cash, and the monetary world no longer works with cash; everything is wired money.

You kind of have two problems here if you are looking for real world plausibility. To go into a bank and ask for a huge sum of cash would raise a lot of red flags. In the United States any transaction over $9999 requires the Federal Regulators to be notified. The other issue is, banks no longer have a lot of cash. I used to deal in cash only, but today it is almost impossible to do that because back when I used to any transaction over $7000 would literally clean out the bank. Several times I was told to come back the next day to get the remaining money, or they had to put in an order of sorts, to have the cash brought to the bank specifically for me. None of that really makes for engaging kidnapping stories.

But all is not lost. Cash is just fancy paper assigned a value, but you can get that in other ways. Gold, silver, palladium are other ways, and whoever said "money does not grow on trees" is stupid; just ask any person with a huge tract of forest land. I just sold a gravel pit, and while that is 'just dirt', I assure you, the right kind of dirt has value. Any of these could be traded for the safe return of a loved one. They just sign over the deed, or the rights to it.

In your situation though, you might go with jewelry instead. It would be plausible, and yet such a tiny item has a lot of value so you would not have the issue of a massive physical item to contend with. It also operates outside of the direct control of government and pretty easy to conjure up a story where Great Grandma had some almost priceless necklace given to her for safe keeping during the Great War.

The modern world is going to cause major issues with films and dramas. A briefcase full of used notes isn't going to cut it anymore. There's nothing exiting about a bank transfer. Most of my story is in place, I just need the transaction. I may just move the timeline and set the story 20 years ago. Drugs could be a possibility as a ransom but he's still got to get hold of the money to get them. Thanks for the ideas but I think early noughties or even nineties could be the best setting. I'll need to change some cultural references though.

 

[Ukwriter79]

the robber did not read the sign very carefully...it is a sperm bank

The kidnapper in the story is highly sexed. I don't know how much you get paid for a deposit but I'm guessing it takes a few visits to make half a million.

 

[CuttingEdge]

The kidnapper in the story is highly sexed. I don't know how much you get paid for a deposit but I'm guessing it takes a few visits to make half a million.

I don't know about Sir Hugs, but I have a daughter from a single deposit, and I can tell you right now, I have spent far more than half-a-million dollars on that child. Her Sephoria bill is darn close to that, and I have five daughters in all. I think their individual toilet paper allotment supercedes a million dollars from age 1-18! One square my ass! They form piss-mittens with those rolls of toilet paper, I swear!

All kidding aside, I think they say raising a single child from age 1 to 18 costs a million dollars now.

 

[LupusDei]

The important questions are, when? And, where? If this century in western country, then...

Why cash? Are the the kidnappers that stupid? Nowadays you can't show up to buy a new car with cash, you would set up all sorts of red flags. A cryptocurrency key can be on a memory card or usb stick if you want a physical item that can be played with.

But assuming they don't know better or have a plan or need that requires cash on their own behalf (group of refugees to be trafficked out a warzone comes to mind as almost the only plausible option that would need that much cash NOW and desperate enough to kidnap people)...

Yes, arranging cash withdrawal of any significant amount (low four digits in $ or €) the bank will ask for up to four business days lead time. Half a million is at least a magnitude over what they physically possess at any given time, unless it's some kind of central depository for a network. Or... shady don't ask don't tell pocket banks aren't around quite as freely in numbers nowadays, but again, when and where. Decade ago in eastern Europe at an establishment that deals in Russian it may or not be that much of a problem. Especially, given that...

The bank have already been informed that he needs money for a business deal and have arranged a meeting.

... so, is this a setup? Had the kidnappers been tipped that he will have the cash?

It's not easy to construct a legitimate need for that cash, but hey, let's assume it's going through. The bank may have been proactive about it and on the ready. Maybe he's that good a client. If so, well, he simply walks out with a suitcase, right? I don't really know, there might be required signatures from more than one person especially if that's bank money taken on an enterprise behalf, personal account may be different game. All a paperwork that can be waved away.

I think if you absolutely insist, it isn't in principle impossible, just unlikely and difficult to arrange, but kind of difficulty that can be commented on and not explored in every detail that can vary wildly from place to place, decade to decade.

 

[alohadave]

In the US, the FBI is involved with kidnapping and ransom demands. I don't know how other countries deal with this kind of situation, but if there is an analogous agency, then how would that affect the story?

Is the MC trying to deal with this without involving authorities, and if so, why? If the authorities are involved, is the MC trying to subvert their involvement, and if so, why?

 

[Ukwriter79]

In the US, the FBI is involved with kidnapping and ransom demands. I don't know how other countries deal with this kind of situation, but if there is an analogous agency, then how would that affect the story?

Is the MC trying to deal with this without involving authorities, and if so, why? If the authorities are involved, is the MC trying to subvert their involvement, and if so, why?

The MC received a phone call from the kidnapper. From that point it was a race against time and across town going from one burner phone to another. As far as he is concerned he just has to follow the instructions to keep his loved one alive. The kidnapper keeps him occupied so that he can't do anything else. The pre arranged bank meeting is to arrange the funds for a business deal. This is where my idea came unstuck. As soon as I typed it out I saw the issue. The rest of the story works but the modern world causes these issues. I'll probably have to rethink that part. I may resort to the underworld crime scene. I need to get the funds for his business deal into the hands of the kidnapper in some shape or form. There needs to be another person, a go between if you like, who also deceives him.

 

[CuttingEdge]

The MC received a phone call from the kidnapper. From that point it was a race against time and across town going from one burner phone to another. As far as he is concerned he just has to follow the instructions to keep his loved one alive. The kidnapper keeps him occupied so that he can't do anything else. The pre arranged bank meeting is to arrange the funds for a business deal. This is where my idea came unstuck. As soon as I typed it out I saw the issue. The rest of the story works but the modern world causes these issues. I'll probably have to rethink that part. I may resort to the underworld crime scene. I need to get the funds for his business deal into the hands of the kidnapper in some shape or form. There needs to be another person, a go between if you like, who also deceives him.

Yeah almost every caper or mystery story such as this, has a person as you describe. They are not villains, just people like friends or coworkers who through their inept skills, bring more carnage on their friends or coworkers without knowing it.

James Bond typically had his lady-friends, and Sherlocke had Mr. Watson.

In a true life story, just as you describe so far, there was a real world caper where a jilted man in church got mad at a banker for not funding his bookstore for $25,000. For that he kidnapped and later killed the bankers wife... who sat just ahead of him in church. He tried to use her kidnapping as a means to get $25,000 from the bank.

The person who foiled it? A reporter who went to the bookstore not knowing the man was the kidnapper and asked him if he saw anything going on. He heard on the scanner that there was a kidnapping. Because of that, the real kidnapper knew the police were called and knew better than to try ang get his money. The woman was already killed. He eventually was caught and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Is your reader really going to care? It just seems like one of many areas where a typical reader will suspend disbelief. You establish your character has the money and an existing relationship with the bank, so the bank gives him a briefcase full of money and we can move on with the plot.
It doesn't seem like a detail worth getting bogged down over.

 

[Abdelkaoolomocro]

Hi all. I'm working on a story involving a kidnapping story line. The kidnapper wants half a million (pounds). Without giving much of the plot away, the victims loved one is being tricked by one or more people (depending on how things work with him acquiring the money.) The bank have already been informed that he needs money for a business deal and have arranged a meeting. He goes to it but tells them he needs the cash now. How might he leave with that sort of cash to pay the ransom? Could there be another way of getting the cash?

I have some experience in findom. If you’re interestd?

 

[Ukwriter79]

Is your reader really going to care? It just seems like one of many areas where a typical reader will suspend disbelief. You establish your character has the money and an existing relationship with the bank, so the bank gives him a briefcase full of money and we can move on with the plot.
It doesn't seem like a detail worth getting bogged down over.

I cared as I typed the paragraph out. It just didn't sound right so I turned to the good people of the forum. I have since had change of heart about the bank and its manager and I think I have a solution.
Having only recently got round to watching Breaking Bad, I should have already thought about Saul Goodman. Someone similar to him would be perfect as the go between. The money could already have been transferred to him with the deal pending. Then the kidnapper, with full knowledge of the deal, tells him to stop it and transfer the money elsewhere. I think this will work. Thanks to all for your input.

 

[jaF0]

Will there be a substantial interest penalty for early withdrawal?

 

[33RPMVinylPants]

Is the physical trip to the bank critical to the story?

Transferring a bitcoin would be pretty equivalent, I would think.

Alternately (and this might overcomplicate your story, so feel free to toss it) the Main Character isn't pating in cash, but has to bring the kidnappers some valuable item that only he has access to. Say, he works in a museum and has to steal a priceless artwork from his employers, or technical schematics from his top-secret corporate research firm.

Character walks into [place] and has to leave with [valuable thing] but the audience is at the edge of their seat, because they might not be able to do it.

Does it have to be [bank] and [briefcase of cash]?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I cared as I typed the paragraph out. It just didn't sound right so I turned to the good people of the forum. I have since had change of heart about the bank and its manager and I think I have a solution.
Having only recently got round to watching Breaking Bad, I should have already thought about Saul Goodman. Someone similar to him would be perfect as the go between. The money could already have been transferred to him with the deal pending. Then the kidnapper, with full knowledge of the deal, tells him to stop it and transfer the money elsewhere. I think this will work. Thanks to all for your input.

Fair enough, but I think sometimes writers overthink things like this. It's your baby so you are going to be more protective of it than the wider audience.

 

[HeyAll]

Hi all. I'm working on a story involving a kidnapping story line. The kidnapper wants half a million (pounds). Without giving much of the plot away, the victims loved one is being tricked by one or more people (depending on how things work with him acquiring the money.) The bank have already been informed that he needs money for a business deal and have arranged a meeting. He goes to it but tells them he needs the cash now. How might he leave with that sort of cash to pay the ransom? Could there be another way of getting the cash?

Use AI, it'll give you a list of ideas for these types of complex things.