It’s not long after Y2k, and this IT pilot fish and his wife get advertising in the mail for something called an Internet bank — and a sketchy-sounding offer.

“According to the advertising postcard, we’d get $25 for opening a new account and depositing some small amount of money, like $100,” says fish. “At the time, it was a new approach to banking and it sounded a little scammy, but they had a real address — they were actually headquartered in our area.

“My wife opened the account and made the deposit, and the account sat quietly earning interest.

“A few years later, my contract was winding down and I was looking for the next contract or job. I got recommended to this Internet/Direct bank, applied, and passed the phone screen. The night before my scheduled face-to-face interview, I was discussing it with my wife. She remembered the bank account she opened and reminded me of it.

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