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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you return the money?

165 replies

GottaGetDownOnFriday · 05/09/2020 03:48

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.

OP posts:
bruffin · 05/09/2020 07:35

@Tibtab

I feel sorry for the staff members who lost their jobs. It looks like they hadn’t pressed enter after the refund amount was entered so the lady entered her PIN. The newspaper says she was paid something like £90,047.19 which would happen if the £9.00 was keyed it but then not confirmed. Stealing from a charity is despicable! If money that isn’t your appears in your account, someone is going to notice! I wouldn’t risk time in prison!
That happened to me but the other way round. I was buying glasses were 258.60They keyed in the amount , didn't press enter and I put in my pin then pressed enter and till receipt was for over £2,586,012.34. It got cancelled straight away thankfully (1234 is not my pin I changed it)
romeolovedjulliet · 05/09/2020 07:36

@speakout

I would return it- it was money from a charity.

If money had been put into my account by a bank or a financial institution I would probably wait a while.
I have a current account that pays interest so I probably wouldn't " notice" the error for a while. I wouldn't spend any of it, but wait for them to ask.

that must be some bank balance if a large sum of unexplained money landed in your account and you didn't notice, why would you wait for them to ask about it ? is that around about way of saiying the bank might not notice /forget about it ?
Whitney168 · 05/09/2020 07:37

I had a random £25 put in to my account this year and did for 2 seconds ponder ignoring it, because of the small amount and the hassle of actually trying to phone the bank LOL. Obviously got over myself quickly though, phoned them, and at some point in the next couple of weeks they eventually fished it back out. Not my money, would have had no joy in spending it, that's for sure.

Obviously this woman is no more of a thief legally because the money was from a charity, but certainly morally it seems even worse.

(Not entirely connected as this was a different type of error, but am loving the new 'check this is the right account' system when you set up new payments these days. Saves the old 'send a penny across to check it' and so much better to know you have the right account.)

TheHappyHerbivore · 05/09/2020 07:40

I would. Particularly because it’s a charity - it’s literally snatching help from the most vulnerable. But even if it was something like a bank I still wouldn’t be entitled to it and it wouldn’t occur to me to try and keep it.

In any event, I’m a lawyer so it would be the end of my career instantly if something like this came to light.

BrummyMum1 · 05/09/2020 07:41

I think it’s difficult to judge unless you’re this cleaner and know her own personal circumstances. I’m not saying it’s right and I’d definitely refund the money but if she’s taking charity shop clothes back for a £9 refund then that tells us something about her own personal financial circumstances and £90,000 would probably be a life changing amount for her and her family.

userxx · 05/09/2020 07:41

Stealing from a charity is pretty low in my opinion. Not sure how she sleeps at night.

speakout · 05/09/2020 07:41

romeolovedjulliet

I often go months without checking the balance of my account.

sapnupuas · 05/09/2020 07:42

I'd return it - you'll just get caught so why risk it.

I'd like to know why two members of staff were sacked over this. Surely only one served her.

Cam2020 · 05/09/2020 07:47

I'd return it. I'd feel guilty (even if it were from a bank) and too worried to spend anything in case they demanded it back!

DianaT1969 · 05/09/2020 07:50

The software for their payment system should have had a cap on transactions allowed. For example, no transaction over 3 digits allowed. Meaning the maximum potential error would be £999. Their finance manager should have taken some blame for not implementing this.

HermioneWeasley · 05/09/2020 07:58

Who takes stuff back to a charity shop for a refund?! (Misses the point)

nicky7654 · 05/09/2020 07:58

So she gets away with it! Typical!!

WhateverThePace · 05/09/2020 08:01

I feel sorry for her. Yes she should have returned it. But it sounds like she’s grafted all her life as a cleaner for minimal pay. That amount to her could have been life changing and her route out of poverty. She gave the money to her children, she didn’t go on shopping sprees!

The charity made a foolish mistake. She didn’t set out to steal from them. The money appeared in her account and she acted without thinking by the sound of it.

rwalker · 05/09/2020 08:03

Yeah how an earth would any one think it wouldn't be traced there a complete electronic trail .

lyralalala · 05/09/2020 08:04

@speakout

romeolovedjulliet

I often go months without checking the balance of my account.

I was just thinking that. I have an account that I never check. It gets X amount transferred in each month and the bills that come out are just under X.

If someone from the bank phoned me and said "We've accidentally put 90K in your account" I think I'd assume it was a scam, hang up and go about my day.

Soubriquet · 05/09/2020 08:06

@HermioneWeasley

Who takes stuff back to a charity shop for a refund?! (Misses the point)
I would if I needed to

It’s still a shop. If I buy something that doesn’t fit or work, then yes I would ask for a refund

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/09/2020 08:07

@DianaT1969

The software for their payment system should have had a cap on transactions allowed. For example, no transaction over 3 digits allowed. Meaning the maximum potential error would be £999. Their finance manager should have taken some blame for not implementing this.
Good point. IT should be in hot water. Even 2 digits would be enough in a charity shop. I thought charity shops didn’t do refunds.

And in answer to the question, I would return it. But then I don’t know what it is to be really skint. Perhaps she or her family do.

Tomatoesneedtoripen · 05/09/2020 08:09

two staff were dismissed which was appalling.

Tomatoesneedtoripen · 05/09/2020 08:10

she will struggle to find work now,suspended prison sentance.

Tomatoesneedtoripen · 05/09/2020 08:12

@HermioneWeasley

Who takes stuff back to a charity shop for a refund?! (Misses the point)
Most people do! it was £9, that would be a lot of money to not claim,
Spermysextowel · 05/09/2020 08:13

Like Butchyrestingface, I’ve just made a donation to Mencap. All theft is bad, but from a charity it’s despicable.

MyView2 · 05/09/2020 08:26

There’s no question I would have returned it, I got an extra £100 in my account the other day as an incentive for moving my mortgage to a new provider and phoned them up to let them know as I wasn’t expecting it! I’m always worried about spending something that’s not actually mine.

It’s an interesting case, I work for a large financial institution and a few years ago a member of staff accidentally managed to key an extra couple of zeros onto a compensation payment for a customer. The customer immediately transferred the full payment to a high interest account. When it came to light the senior manager who authorised the payment (and hadn’t read it properly) was disciplined but not dismissed. The compensation payment was reclaimed from the account (which was fortunately still with us), the customer then complained again for the error and received further compensation! Absolute madness, mistakes happen but that customer was taking the p@$$.

Pobblebonk · 05/09/2020 08:26

The charity made a foolish mistake. She didn’t set out to steal from them. The money appeared in her account and she acted without thinking by the sound of it.

How do you manage to transfer £57,000 into other accounts without thinking?? How is that not setting out to steal from the charity?

slashlover · 05/09/2020 08:26

Good point. IT should be in hot water. Even 2 digits would be enough in a charity shop. I thought charity shops didn’t do refunds.

My shop sells electrical items so 2 digits wouldn't be enough (sold a guitar for £130 yesterday. I don't know if the system is able to be changed as it's a separate card machine.

Tomatoesneedtoripen · 05/09/2020 08:28

Tax credits gave me 3 lots of large payments some years ago,
I called the bank to ask where it was from, and they told me to contact tax credits!
they then proceeded to take the money back over the next 10 years!

really not worth keeping money that isnt yours.