Would you return the money?

[GottaGetDownOnFriday]

Re: this news story about a cleaner who was accidentally refunded £90,000 instead of £9.
metro.co.uk/2020/09/02/cleaner-sent-90000-by-charity-in-error-let-temptation-get-the-better-off-her-13215404/

Would you have returned the money in her position?

YABU - I would have returned the money.

YANBU - I would have kept the money if I could.

I think I would return it, as it was from a charity so I would feel horribly guilty keeping it and I would worry about getting caught anyway, but I'd probably let it sit in my account for a day or two first whilst wrestling with my conscience.

I'm just curious to see what others would do. I have a lot of sympathy for this woman even though she was clearly in the wrong.

Yes I would return it.

Now if it were a bank................ :)

I'd return it. It doesn't seem like you have a choice, anyway. You're bound to get caught.

I'd return it. It doesn't seem like you have a choice, anyway. You're bound to get caught.

Hypothetically, if it was from a big institution (eg a bank) and I knew I would get away with it I think I would keep it. That probably makes me a dishonest person though 🤷‍♀️

Of course I would return it, it's theft.

What makes her actions far worse imo is that fact that she stole from a charity supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

I don't know how she sleeps at night.

That probably makes me a dishonest person though

Where does "probably" come from? There's no uncertainty or ambiguity here - if you would choose to be dishonest, as you're saying you would, you are a dishonest person.

YABU. Of course I would return it.

It doesn’t matter if it was from a little charity or a big corporation; that money wouldn’t be yours and keeping it would be theft. It’s irrelevant if the corporation is hugely profitable.

Of course I would. It's felony not to.

Morally yes but legally I think you would need to anyway

Yes I would return it. There's no grey area for this. Not only did she steal £31000 from a charity which helps some of the most vulnerable people in our society by siphoning it off to other accounts/people, two people lost their jobs over it. I don't know how she sleeps at night.

You’d have no option, but to return it, as the bank would take it back, or you’d be charged and taken to court for its return.
No matter how lovely a windfall it would seem, it’s someone else’s money.
Albeit some overpaid charity executives pay.

Rather a shame that the newspaper reported that the staff involved had been dismissed for what appears to have been a horrible huge error.

When it’s really likely to have been a lack of good training and supervision as the cause of the mistake.

It's not your money. It's not a windfall, it's theft if you keep it. You're intentionally depriving someone of their money, because of an error.

I would have returned it, yes.

Someone I know once walked past an ATM and noticed there was £200 sticking out of it. They took it and kept it for themselves. That was also theft - that money had come out of someone's account and for whatever reason, they had failed to pick it up. I would have taken it back into the bank - they could have traced it to the last ATM transaction and returned it.

My morals tend to be very flexible what keeps me in check is a massive amount of guilt.

So while I would debate it for longer than most people, I know I would give it back because my guilt would keep biting at me

Yes I would return it. Why do you have sympathy for her?

Definitely return it.

I’d return it, too.

The clincher for me is how quickly she moved large sums out of her account. She absolutely knew it was dodgy and acted quickly to try to make sure she could keep the charity’s money, In a sense she may well have got away with it - there’s 31k that’s still unrecovered. I’m actually amazed she didn’t get a custodial sentence (although I’m glad she didn’t for what it’s worth).

Would love to know how it happened - did the cat sit on the 0 key....

00000000000000000000 Tiddles what have you done?!!!!?!

I would return it. You get caught if you don't, and splashed all over the news! Also, its a charity..

Now if you told me a bank (or very large business) made an error, and there was a chance of actually not getting caught, its a different story though..would be extremely tempting.

@UnpaintedPaint

You’d have no option, but to return it, as the bank would take it back, or you’d be charged and taken to court for its return. No matter how lovely a windfall it would seem, it’s someone else’s money. Albeit some overpaid charity executives pay.

Rather a shame that the newspaper reported that the staff involved had been dismissed for what appears to have been a horrible huge error.

When it’s really likely to have been a lack of good training and supervision as the cause of the mistake.

Yeah very harsh to sack the staff member responsible. Unless they suspect it was somehow done on purpose, but there would have been a big deal made abut that I think..

Yes it's theft. Return it.

Irrespective of whether you want to return it or not, you’re an idiot if you thought you would get away with it. A total fool.

You don't know what actually happened further staff to be dismissed., It might not have been the first occasion they got it wrong.

Of course I would return it. It's stealing otherwise.
I actually had something similar happen some years ago. I sold my house and the solicitor was on holiday and his (newly hired) assistant accidentally sent me the proceeds (over £100,000) twice from their account. She was beside herself when she figured it out a few hours after it happened and I didn't help much by joking that I was already on a plane to the Bahamas...:). I of course returned it the next day (pain in ass because even though it was an electronic transfer in, I had to go in person to my bank to explain to them why I was sending it back).

I was horrified the woman tried to keep it tbh, she transferred some to other accounts and started spending.

Legally and morally of course it should be returned.