# A check for over $1000 for me? I'm scared! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852 "2003-05-22T18:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/1 "2003-05-22T18:03:57Z")
The IRS sent me and my hubby a check for a nice chunk of change. There was nothing in the envelope with the check. There was no message on the check. Just PAY TO THE ORDER OF Houseman and Biggirl from the United States Treasury. We are frightened of it. We have put it into a box made of the same material that airplane black boxes are made out of and buried it under the floorboards. We have asked the children if they have called Homeland Security recently with the goods on Ralph Nader or Al Sharpton. We have thrown holy water on it. I can hear it now. . . calling from the floor boards _ **Au–dit. AAAAUUUUUDDDIIIIIITTTT** _. We will be calling the IRS. We’ll take a few survival supplies with us for the long wait-- some water, maybe some MREs. Wish us luck. I’m so frightened ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/2 "2003-05-22T18:08:57Z")
Oh, didn’t you hear? The gov’t is going to send random check to random people as a gesture of good will and love! I’m surprised you didn’t get the memo! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/3 "2003-05-22T18:09:00Z")
Send it to me. I’m totally not scared of big checks. I’ll send you the money when I cash it for you, honest. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/4 "2003-05-22T18:12:54Z")
Probably the best and safest way to handle this is simply to endorse it over to “Biffy the Elephant Shrew” and send it to: Biffy the Elephant Shrew Burrow #5 Vacant Lot Behind Trag’s San Mateo, CA 94401 Your nightmare will be over. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/5 "2003-05-22T18:41:23Z")
I hear everybody gets a $1000 check from the govt once you have posted over 4800 times on the SDMB. Ask **FairyChatMom**. She bought a chain saw with her money. ---
**Author:** ![MissBHaven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missbhaven/32/7170_2.png) [@MissBHaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissBHaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/6 "2003-05-22T18:44:50Z")
Spend it fast! Didn’t you just move? There has to be a ton of things on your want list!!! ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/7 "2003-05-22T18:50:24Z")
Ya know what’s even scarier? When you check your balance from the ATM, hoping that there’s going to be enough in there to buy some groceries and stuff, and finding that there’s a couple thousand dollars more than you expected. The good ol’ IRS making a stealthy direct deposit. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/8 "2003-05-22T19:25:21Z")
OK, I’ve made it back. It was a long, hard journey through the 1-800 jungle but I’ve come away with the top secret information. The check is for an overpayment made . . . in 1989! Whoohooo! Pary at Biggirl’s! Oh wait-- I’ve got to hire movers. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/9 "2003-05-22T19:31:23Z")
1989? You mean the IRS is still using Commodore 64s to do their accounting? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/10 "2003-05-22T19:37:44Z")
Know what this dumbshit did? Wrote out the first check back 4/14 to the IRS or something and then saw it was to be addressed to the treasury so we wrote out another and somehow both were sent in and cashed. Where’s the heady smacky thingey? The first 4k was bad enough but then I loaned them another 4k and am still waiting for my reimbursement. I suck. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/11 "2003-05-22T19:38:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*1989? You mean the IRS is still using Commodore 64s to do their accounting? \*\* No, I don’t think they’ve upgraded to the C64 yet. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/12 "2003-05-22T19:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*Know what this dumbshit did? Wrote out the first check back 4/14 to the IRS or something and then saw it was to be addressed to the treasury so we wrote out another and somehow both were sent in and cashed. Where’s the heady smacky thingey? The first 4k was bad enough but then I loaned them another 4k and am still waiting for my reimbursement. > \*\* Let’s just hope it doesn’t take them 14 years to get it back to you. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/13 "2003-05-22T19:50:03Z")
Why does the IRS insist on you paying every single cent of interest when you’re late, but they won’t pay any at all when they are late paying you back? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/14 "2003-05-22T20:22:25Z")
Ohh, but they did pay me interest. It says so on the bottom of the check: Interest-- 42.03 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/15 "2003-05-22T20:26:48Z")
Amazing. A whole .3% per year! They’ve gotten generous lately. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/16 "2003-05-22T21:21:36Z")
I can see why you’re nervous. The check probably should have gone to BigOil, not Biggirl. ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/17 "2003-05-22T21:40:10Z")
Funny IRS story. In December, I went to Florida, and while I was there visited my grandmother, whom I haven’t seen in years, and is slowly forgetting 95% of the details of her life. So, while we were catching up (at least 8 times during the visit), she pulled out her wallet, and showed me a tax refund check for $95. “I don’t know where this came from, but someone sent me almost a hundred dollars!” She’s been out of work for at least 50 years, and my grandfather died about 10 years ago. Since then, she’s lived off his pension and/or social security. So her refund was from SS or whatever. I tried explaining the refund concept, but she was convinced someone in Austin, Texas really liked her, and wanted to send her money. It was dated June 7th or something. She’d had this check for over 6 months, and had been afraid to cash it. So I took her to the bank, and the tellers were trying not to laugh as she quized them on the “hidden catches” of the money. She’s still convinced she won a prize of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/18 "2003-05-23T01:21:35Z")
Be careful Biggirl. The year before last my parents got a letter and check from the IRS in the summer, explaining that they’d done a random audit, and found an error in their favor. My parents were pleased by the unexpected winfall. Until they got another letter months later explaining that they’d made an error, so my parents now owed that check plus interest. You really should call the IRS and make sure they didn’t make a “mistake” if this is unexpected: and get it in writng. ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/19 "2003-05-23T01:29:33Z")
I wonder if the IRS makes occasional “mistakes” as a moneymaking scheme? “If we put this taxpayer money in the bank, we’ll make 2% interest…but if we send it to someone and then ‘discover’ our error a year later, we can charge them 5% interest! Mwahaha!” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852/20 "2003-05-23T01:55:22Z")
I did call them! They told me it was an overpayment! Stop it, _stop it, **STOP IT!!!** _ [sub]mommy[/sub] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-check-for-over-1000-for-me-im-scared/176852.md?page=2)