Accidental crime...

[ChinChinDarlings]

NC, because I have become an inadvertent criminal.

This sounds unlikely but it true and I would like some advice and insight.

I was out today with a friend, lunch, galleries, bit of shopping. Tapping away merrily with my card.

My husband met me at the station to pick me up and I said I needed to go to the supermarket to get something and he asked what I'd been paying with all day because he had my card in his pocket.

We'd been away at the weekend and he'd been using my card because that was the card we had on us, I have a premium banking product and my card is very distinctive. I'd checked that I had my card in my holder before I went out today because I knew We'd both been using it at the weekend. Saw it was in my holder and have been tapping away all day.

The card I had in my holder and have been merrily using all day, is not my card. It belongs to a man I've never heard of. The only solution I can see is that I picked his identical card up that he left on a table and I assumed it was my card.

I have been spending a stranger's money all day. Shall I just phone the bank? Won't I look like a criminal?

TL;DR. I have accidentally spent some blokes money all day. I don't know what to do!

Call bank tomorrow & explain. Offer to pay money back. Take photos of the two cards (yours and theirs) side by side so it proves how you didn’t notice. Maybe contact the place where you think you intercepted the other persons card - the card owner might have contacted them too? …… OR……………….
go on the run 😂😂

I think I'd contact the police before they contact me.

It's a premium banking card. Not many people have them.

I doubt he's down to his last fiver.

Which is why I must have presumed it was mine, the cards are nearly identical and not that common.

The whole things sounds weird. In nearly five decades I can’t think of a single occasion when I’ve been having drinks with people and anyone has just left their card on the table. And if they did, someone would mention pretty sharpish if someone picked up another person’s card and took it home.

I’m struggling to believe that someone would leave their card lying around on a table in a public place, as you describe. I just find this story so strange, and you seem so casual about the whole thing.

I know!

I honestly can't tell you how it happened.

It's my best guess. Not a factual explanation.

What’s a ‘premium banking card’? Is it a card for one of those posh banks like Coutts or something?

ah yes but dont forget this is a special (wink wink) credit card which only a small percentage of billionaires are given....

The long and short of this seems to be: I picked up a stranger’s posh bank card, I’ve been merrily spending their money for a day and haven’t been caught out yet, so do I reeeeally need to own up to what I’ve done and make amends? The answer is: 100% yes (if this even happened).

I'm quite happy to pay

That's big of you.

Is he using your card in the same way though?

Where did yours go

Maybe this happened, maybe it didn’t. Either way, the main way to work out what to do is to think: how would you feel if you had your card stolen and someone was spending your money? Would you want them to refund you the money they spent? That’ll help you decide what to do.

Or did you all leave your cards in a bowl instead of your keys?

Me too, but it's the only explanation I can come up with for how I have their card in my possession.

I'm not a thief.

I ended up with their card and because my husband had my card, I mentally registered that I had A card in my possession.

I picked up (presumably) a card on a table that I assumed to be mine and have used it, until I realised it wasn't.

Yes, I'll just call the card provider tomorrow.

It was a WTF moment when my husband had my card, because I thought I had my card...

But it wasn't.

Good grief. If I discovered I had been inadvertently using someone else's credit card, I would have been on the phone to the card company to get it sorted and try and transfer the money from my account asap.

Is your name Ben Mitchell?

Was not a sex thing.

What's a premium bank card??

Any reason you're not calling now? Before, you weren't a criminal. Now you're being dishonest

Why are you faffing on here and not phoning them now?

I'm not sure you can 'Immediately transfer' money if you suddenly realise you've been using someone else's card.

It will definitely be a ball-ache.

I'm not trying to steal or defraud. I possibly cannot be arsed with sorting this out.

And I will, 100% not be calling any police, because they 100% would not be interested.

I'm not pissing around with phone-banking at 10pm.

You will get no joy.

I don't feel it's an immediately notifiable circumstance.

I only occasionally get asked to put my pin in, certainly not every five taps?

Lol.

That is my flex. Obviously.