A man deposited a fake junk mail check for $95,000 as a joke. The bank cleared it. Six lawyers told him it was legally his money. He gave it all back anyway.
– Patrick Combs was 29, living in San Francisco in 1995 with $200 in his bank account when a junk mail letter arrived offering him a get-rich-quick scheme.
– Inside was a promotional fake check made out in his name for $95,093.35. Printed across the front in clear letters: NOT NEGOTIABLE.
– In a moment of dark humor he signed the back with a smiley face and deposited it at an ATM.
– He expected the bank to call him laughing. They never called.
– Ten days later he checked his balance. $101,217.34. The check had cleared.
– The promotional check was so close in design to a real check that it legally qualified as one under banking law.
– By the time the bank realized what had happened it was legally too late to recall the funds.
– Combs called his brother who told him to move the money immediately.
– He tried to withdraw $95,000 in cash. He learned three things. All the large safe deposit boxes were taken, $500 bills no longer existed, and $95,000 in $100 bills did not fit in a small box.
– He got a cashier's check instead and locked it in a safe-deposit box.
– When the bank finally came for the money a month later they accused him of fraud and threatened police.
– He refused to return anything until they admitted in writing that they had made the mistake, not him.
– Six different lawyers reviewed his case and told him the money was legally his to keep.
– The bank and Combs went to war for five months. He gave interviews on television and in newspapers. The public loved him.
– He eventually gave every dollar back. All he wanted in return was a signed letter clearing him of any wrongdoing and lunch with the bank president. He got the letter but not the lunch.
– He turned the entire story into a one-man show called Man 1 Bank 0 and performed it 2,000 times across the world.
A man deposited a fake check as a joke with a smiley face signature. The tenth-largest bank in America cleared it.
A one-vote margin just changed the conversation around ICE in Minnesota.
In a razor-thin 34–33 vote, the state Senate backed a bill banning ICE agents from wearing masks during operations, and giving residents the right to sue if they believe their constitutional rights were violated.
PlayStation has announced a new State of Play on June 2, 2026, at 2 PM Pacific Time.
- It will be a one-hour event.
- Streamed on Twitch and YouTube.
- Will feature news, updates, announcements, and gameplay reveals for upcoming PS5 games.
- Will have a special focus on Marvel’s Wolverine.
rent for a one bedroom in most major cities is $1,800
landlords require you make 3x that to qualify
that’s $5,400 a month
$64,800 a year
before taxes
after taxes you need to be making close to $80,000 a year
just to qualify to rent a one bedroom apartment
the median salary for a 22 year old in america is $36,000
how does this make any sense?