Huntington Bank Calls Cops On Paul McCowns Because They Thought His Paycheck Was Too High For A Black Person

Huntington Bank tellers refused to cash a black Ohio man’s paycheck from his new job. They also called 911 because they were suspicious that he earned so much money.

All Paul McCowns wanted to do is cash his first paycheck from his new job with an electric company. Unfortunately, Huntington Bank in the Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn had other ideas.

The paycheck was for a little more than $1,000. McCowns and tellers confirmed he showed two forms of identification and a fingerprint, as required for non-Huntington Bank customers.

However, McCowns said bank employees started looking at a computer screen and questioning the transaction. They ultimately refused to cash the check without speaking to his employer.

McCowns left the bank. However white Huntington Bank employees called 911 on him. A police squad car pulled in front of his truck before he could drive away.

Bank employees told the police:

He’s trying to cash a check and the check is fraudulent. It does not match our records.

As a result, officers handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a police cruiser.

However, minutes later police contacted McCowns’ employer. The employer confirmed McCowns had worked there for three weeks and the check was legitimate.

Police confirmed McCowns’ claims to the TV station WOIO. McCowns said he cashed the check without incident at another Huntington Bank location.

Huntington Bank’s Half-Assed Attempt At Damage Control

A bank representative told WOIO that branch had seen 11 cases of fraud in recent months. As a result, tellers were being hyper-vigilant.

The bank told WOIO:

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.

Paul McCowns said he wanted an apology from the bank for racial profiling. He also wants the tellers to face consequences. However,  Huntington Bank representative have not returned numerous calls.