Originally posted by UshgarakMan, you suck.
Before getting into the ethics of it, keeping it is pretty stupid as the amouint of hassle involved in evading authorities to keep the money makes the money not worth it.Ethically, of course, it is totally wrong, and if you justify it with "it's a bank" then you've gone past the moral event horizon. Stealing is stealing regardless of the victim.
And in any case, of course, the bank will just recoup any losses with various ways of getting monwy from customers, be that higher rates on loans or lower rates on savings. So in fact you just hurt everyone else by such things.
Not a matter of millions of course, but I was overpaid by a factor of 10 once by my local council (who managed to add an extra zero onto the number of hours I had worked that month, which would have made it phsycially impossible to do). What's worse is that it seems they would never have noticed a damn thing if I hadn't told them. Some thanks would have been nice but oh well.
I'd keep it for definate.
Their mistake, not mine.
Originally posted by inimalistSame. I wonder if they would reward them for being honest and turning it in.
it is 100% illegal to take the money, even on bank errorso I'd give it back
if it was $10, or maybe even $100, I'd keep it and keep mum, but 10 mil, like the article said, they have interpol on them now.
Originally posted by lord xyz
Man, you suck.I'd keep it for definate.
Their mistake, not mine.
then you would go to jail
its not a question of fault, but a question of legality, as in, it is 100% illegal, and unless you have some fairly serious connections in black market finance, I can't imagine you would be able to launder 10m
and even if you got away, you would be running for the rest of your life. Sure, you could go to Burma or Mongolia, but then you face the problem of being in either Burma or Mongolia.
It would honestly be easier to rob a bank of 10m then to take it when they make the error.
Here's what I'd do.
I'd give it all back and ask for a really really sweet home loan deal. I'd ask for like...2% APR or the first 5 years is interest free, or something. That would not only give them their money back, but it would also make them money in the long run. It's a win-win for anyone with foresight. I would, of course, publicize it to sweeten the deal for the bank. (Getting them some screen time (increase their name recognition) and praise for being so nice to the honest guy."😉
Originally posted by inimalistI'm sure he'd at least get a free toaster.
lolthe bank is not obligated to reward you for not breaking the law
its stupid and they have obviously used their influence to be legally covered for their own mistakes, but I honestly don't believe they'd reward you. They might say thanks.
Originally posted by inimalist
lolthe bank is not obligated to reward you for not breaking the law
its stupid and they have obviously used their influence to be legally covered for their own mistakes, but I honestly don't believe they'd reward you. They might say thanks.
It should be obvious that any person is not obligated to "reward" upon the return of rightfully owned items. There is the obligation via societal norms that usually results in a reward of sorts.
I've read at least one story in which a person was rewarded for returning money to the bank. It was that story of an armored truck losing money or something. He got a reward for returning the money. There's probably dozens of stories like that out there.
Stands to reason that my "reward" is more likely to be given (even if it is not at like at 2% fixed apr or something) because it is actually giving the bank more money than it had before...long term.
They often do in the case of robbery or otherwise completely unrecoverable cash, normally by offering one in advance, but an admin error (with no paper money involved) is different and ASKING for a reward changes the situation entirely. There's going to be no societal norm on that one.
Lord xyz's attitude is a depressingly selfish one. It is not your money. There is nothing magical about it being in your account that suddenly makes it yours. It is their mistake that they put it in your account but it is very much NOT their mistake that you noticed that and in full knowledge that you had no right to it started to spend it. That is simple theft.
If someone parked their car in your driveway in error, you have the right to be pissed off at them about it, but not the right to take the car as your own.
Originally posted by Ushgarak
They often do in the case of robbery or otherwise completely unrecoverable cash, normally by offering one in advance, but an admin error (with no paper money involved) is different and ASKING for a reward changes the situation entirely. There's going to be no societal norm on that one.
Based on what? Google "money returned to bank" and you'll get several examples. Maybe not the exact situation in this scenario.
And, "asking" for a reward is not really what will occur. Refusing a reward and instead "asking" for the alternative I present is certainly a viable option. There will and is a societal norm for rewarding things exactly of that nature. Maybe the British wouldn't, but I cannot conceive of a bank NOT providing some type of reward. A bank certainly gave that guy money for returning money...so why wouldn't they do the same if someone went out of their way, just he same, to alert a bank manager/owner of an error like that when the person can totally screw them over? Also, though uncouth, asking for the "reward" I suggest may be very doable at a smaller bank. 🙂
Originally posted by Ushgarak
If someone parked their car in your driveway in error, you have the right to be pissed off at them about it, but not the right to take the car as your own.
Odd that in some US states, you have the right to kill them, though.
You'll find plenty of examples where they do not. There's no obligation via society or otherwise. Uncouth is the word, yes... the point is that giving it back is the right thing to do, and that alone is the reason to do it, not to gain advantage for yourself. If they then offer a reward then that is hunky-dory, but going in actively trying to create a reward for yourself is the wrong reason to do it.
Well seeing as the banks can make money out of nothing, that is loan a lot more out than they actually have. And that they are being bailed out by tax payers money, OUR MONEY.
I'd friggin well do a runner, have a real time of my life adventure and if I got caught and went to jail, which would'nt be long after all it wasn't an armed robbery or anything like that, in Jail I'd write a book about the escaped and make money out of that, plus the media coverage of the whole event might make me a celebrity, so I could appear on daft talk shows and stupid reality shows for money as well.
I'd have a well good time, and a bit of being chased by the cops even though I'm not dangerous in their eyes so they aint gonna shoot me are they, would be an adventure, my military training would come in handy for sure.
Certainly would be more exciting that doing the same sort of crap payed job for the rest of my life.