Can a personal check made out to you and cashed be traced to you through your bank account?

Answer 1

If the cheque were cashed by you at your bank, the staff would have 'qualified' their authority to cash it by either a visual identification of you, (meaning someone knew you as a regular account holder of the bank), or if you provided any identification for the encashment of the cheque, your identity would be traceable to your account.

However, if you were to receive a cheque from an individual, drawn in your favour, and from a bank not used by yourself, provided you did not submit any identification, the process the bank would have to undertake to identify you would be substantial. They would need to check the payee's name and rely upon their comprehensive search facilities, possibly including the police, if the situation warranted it. Additionally, if the cheque were bogus in any way, the bank maintains continual data capture facilities (fix frame and running video), of every event that occurs inside the bank, especially close-up photos of transactions occurring at the counter. They would pull the cheque, note the time the cheque was presented, then pull the corresponding video activity; including the counter's close-frame photos, and peripheral photos, (such as around the bank to determine whether there was anyone with you), and present the combined evidentiary material to any necessary authorities.

It is highly improbable that a bank, in today's current financial climate, would simply hand over cash to the payee, in the absence of identification and the drawee's endorsement (signature) on the document.