£50,000 mysteriously appears in your bank account

[paphos-mcfc]

With 50k I'd do a tasty bird, before my bit of bird. (Probably hand it back though in reality)

 

[MaineDAWG2008]

what about the council stealing from us?

 

[adrianr]

Would it make a difference if I put it in the stock market and gave it back as soon as I was asked?

Ultimately money rocking up in your account is traceable and has to be returned. 50k cash in a bag however..

 

[Gelsons Dad]

It didn't mysteriously appear. The bank knows where it came from and so would she if she cared.

There is no moral dilemma either. Just a choice, break the law or don't.

 

[Damocles]

But it's a shit law, hence the dilemma.

 

[rushts]

I probably wouldn't notice to be honest.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

But it's a shit law, hence the dilemma.

In a democracy there is always the opportunity to change the law. The really shit ones don't last long if enough people think they are shit and care enough to change them. I don't see how a law that prevents you from spending someone else's money is shit. Pretty sure if it had gone from your account into hers you wouldn't think it was a shit law.

 

[The Silver Surfer]

Went to a cash machine at asda in 96 and found £80 hanging out of it. Just thought, "ta very much", picked up the girlfriend and went on a bender.

Only when I thought about it later I thought of a single mum struggling on a single income/benefits distracted by her kids, then doing her food shopping or going to the till with her kids birthday present and being distraught that she has lost her money. Makes me feel sick even now.

Of course I try to convince myself it was some rich bastard in a rush to get some crates of beer and barbecue gear in.

Usually fail though :( .

 

[tidyman]

It didn't mysteriously appear. The bank knows where it came from and so would she if she cared.

There is no moral dilemma either. Just a choice, break the law or don't.

Well if 50K popped up as my balance when I checked, I would describe it as mystery.

And all this stuff ( not by you ) about, what if it was some poor old grannies or a disabled single mum, is just bullshit. If the bank mistakenly transferred your money to someone else, they would refund it, irrespective of whether they recovered it or not. Although I've never actually heard of this happening.

No one is saying, they wouldn't know if it was illegal or not. Everyone's knows it is. Doesn't mean it can't be described as a dilemma though.

 

[stony]

Would you keep it?

I would, without a moments hesitation.

This woman was quite clever. Either intentionally or by chance. By putting 40K in a savings account and not blowing the lot, was probably the difference between the CS she got and a jail sentence.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-mum-who-spent-9000-3380484" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/vi ... 00-3380484</a>

She's a thief, and it's not even as though she needed the money. She spent it on designer clothes and shoes.
Lock the woman up.

Nobody is disputing she is a thief.

That's not the question.

Out of all the people I know, I can think of maybe two who might not keep it.

Probably the best thing to do, assuming you're going to keep it, would be to leave it untouched for a while. Then if it is detected, you won't have broken the law.

I personally would draw the lot out at the earliest opportunity and deal with any consequences later.

I certainly wouldn't keep it. No one in my immediate family would keep it either.
When I came originally fell ill and came out of work, I was on incap benefit. I was still on it 4 years later, but technically still employed by my previous employer. After 4 years they rang me up and asked what the chances of me coming back were and if I wasn't coming back could they finish me. I told them the truth and we parted on good terms.
A week later I checked my bank and found they had paid me 4 weeks holiday pay. I rang them up and they said it was what they owed me.
Now after living on benefits for 4 years, this was a tidy fucking sum of money. The second phone call I made was to the benefit office to inform them of my windfall.
They were a little shocked, and the woman expressed her surprise that I was being honest, but said the money didn't affect my claim.

I'm honest, it's the way I've been brought up and I've brought my kids up the same way.