How much research do trustees do?

[minnesotakent]

Minnesota

How much research do trustees do? I am just curious about this, I have no intention of "hiding" anything when I file because I would never want to risk my bankruptcy.

Do trustees have a way of finding all of your bank accounts. For instance, if I live in one state and have a bank account in another, how does the trustee find out about the other account if it is not listed?

Do they run a vehicle check with the department of motor vehicles to make sure each vehicle a person owns is listed?

Is bankruptcy fraud a common problem or is it rare?

 

[Ladynred]

With nearly 2 MILLION personal BK cases filed last year, Trustees don't have the staff or the time to do much in-depth investigation. I'm sure they do some, its their job, but I'd be willing to bet it only happens in cases where they think something smells a bit fishy.

Your bank accounts MUST be listed on your schedules. Not a good idea to leave anything off at all, its not worth the risk of having your case dismissed.

I don't believe they run a vehicle check, but I've read here where they have asked for a copy of the vehicle title.

Fraud, I'm afraid, is probably too common, but how many actually get caught is a statistic I'd have to look up.

If you really need to file for BK, it is NOT worth the risk of being accused of BK fraud and having your case dismissed. Worse, the FBI investigates BK fraud and if convicted, you can do jail time.

 

[Arizona-Chap7]

I know how busy Trustee's take care of this overworked problem, they hire out independent audits and hire lawyers themselves to review your case. I had to submit 2 years worth of EVERYTHING. Every CC Statement, phone bills, check registers. Package was 4.7 lbs. Trustee's lawyer costs $195/hr.
If I made any mistakes they were honest errors, not fraud, but I'm being put through the ringer, I think for these reasons:
*Combined income at $100K
*Monthly outgo (bills, etc) high
*Pro Se (because we could not afford one)