My elderly father was coerced into a pigeon drop scam. He withdrew $30,000 in cash from his bank while the criminal suspects were waiting outside the bank. When the teller asked him why wanted so much cash, my father told her that he would be right back with the money. Despite this red flag, he was given the money and robbed. I was astounded that the bank released so much cash to him instantly, especially since his account has never shown a large scale withdrawal before. The bank manager refused to talk with me regarding this transaction. Isn't there a policy that regulates how cash is released when confronted with an unusual request?
You'll have to try to understand the bank's position. If it had denied your father his withdrawal request, he could have sued the bank for breach of its deposit contract. Bank customers, particularly some of their more seasoned customers, can get pretty feisty and confrontational when questioned or challenged about some of their transactions. Sometimes, even after a customer understands that he's a scam target, he will refuse a banker's advice, perhaps out of embarrassment at having been tricked.
You also are assuming that the "red flag" that appears obvious with "20-20 hindsight" would have been evident to the teller. That may not be the case, and given all the other transactions handled by the teller that day or that week, your father's request may not have seemed that unusual. Unhappily, experience shows that elderly bank customers can sometimes be more trusting than those who are younger and more cautious. That is the very reason that scam artists like the pigeon drop scammer you mentioned, prey on them, not to mention the fact that elderly customers often have significant savings accounts. Banks try to distribute information about scams in counter brochures and in banks statements. They can't make customers read them, or accept the advice they contain.
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You'll have to try to understand the bank's position. If it had denied your father his withdrawal request, he could have sued the bank for breach of its 