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$10mil Bank error would you keep the money?
Posted by polybore • 5/21/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: bank, error, honesty
Your bank makes an error and gives your account a $10 million over draft facility. Do you inform the bank of their mistake or withdraw the money and head for the hills like this New Zealand couple did.
www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2428243/Couple-missing-after-10m-bank-bungle
polybore would have been honest but maybe it is not so easy when you are handed a seven figure sum?
User Comments
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That's hard to say... it's a lot of money and you only live once.-
take it trailofpen! -
Indeed but is $10 million worth a spending the rest of your life looking over your shoulder? Or perhaps they made a calculation that it is better to have that kind of money if only for a short while.
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take it all to Switzerland or some other safe haven.
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As someone once said, there's no guarantee I'll live to see tomorrow. So, with that in mind, I'd take the money move out of the country get plastic surgery buy a fake identity buy a huge house with maids and have a trophy wife and 10 girlfriends on the side.
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I think you're overestimating the power of 10 million dollars. -
Yes Stillthinking. A wife and ten girl friends one would be broke in a week with just $10 million.
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just the wife would do it...
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cookingasshole You may think that but polybore could not possibly comment.
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Not if you move to the Philippines...
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Alec Baldwin, is that you?
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I don't think it would be worth it. Were talking a HUGE sum of money here, once the mistake was noticed by the bank .. you'd have every agency trying to track you down .. Not much fun being rich if your looking over your shoulder on a daily basis.-
Polybore's thoughts exactly. But is their a trade off here? Just trying to get into the minds of this couple.
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Its an easy way get fired from your job at westpac.
But in all honesty - any chance to leave rotorua really. 10mil would do it. On the other hand they're gonna get chased around the world until they get caught.
Stupidly enough the news last night showed all the countries they could go to in order to bank the money and get away with it. Smart. -
No, I would report it. 40% out of honesty and 60% because I am convinced I would get caught.
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If/ when they get caught they might be able to make some money selling the film rights.
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For the record it roughly converts to 6,159,193.76 USD
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Thanks Sam1982.
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I know they would find out and get the money back. Its just a matter of how (1) I tell them of their mistake.
(2) Take the money and run. FBI chases me around the world..I might buy a couple of cool things..live it up..and then they finally get me.
I would rather take option 1.-
Option 2 might have appealed to polybore when they were in their reckless youth. Maybe they should have explored a third option though and put it on a bet. Provided they had won and were able to pay back the bank wonder if they would have been allowed to keep the winnings?
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My guess is that with the couple being asian they would have taken off back to an asian country. Not to sound racist but they would have a better chance of blending in, especially in a country with a much bigger population
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If you had the right contacts the money could be cleaned up in no time. But yes, hiding yourself would be the tricky part. China would be a good place to loose yourself if as you say you did not stand out.
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I would totally return the $9 million.
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lol Quite right you would of course have to charge the bank a handling fee to cover the paper work, phone call etc. 10% sounds about right. That is how banks operate.
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Yeah. Sure. Handling fees. I can use that. Keep going while I get my notepad.
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While I wouldn't take the money - I can't help but think about how the banks operate when they make a mistake in their favor, versus when they make a mistake in the customer's favor.
Funny how mistakes in their favor often go without legal action of any sort - even if they keep the profit from said mistake, but when it's the customer's benefit - it's prison time!!!-
Yep a bit like this recent story from the UK news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/8009965.stm
Ironically an investment banker and his partner discovered that a particular cash machine did not register withdrawals while they were in over draft. They squirrelled away £60,000 over time. Suspended jail sentences for them.
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All errors will be so rectified and why get caught for no reason? It is not worth it. -
No, I would totally freak out and assume I'd get into a deeeeep shite if I don't report it. There's no way nobody would notice that sort of a sum going missing.
Also I would expect a few thousand to appear on my bank account as a reward later on.
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What's also funny is that the mistake was made on the 5th of May and between then and now, the couple closed up the service station they owned and then took off "apparently" overseas.
So yesterday being the 21st in NZ its taken that long for the bank to actually notice the error.-
Someone is going to be for the high jump at the bank.
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Yep big time - I'd almost go as far to say that it would be the culprit and the acting manager/supervisor getting the boot
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Wonder if a sticky keyboard had anything to do with it.
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Hahaha I wonder if they'll try that as an excuse
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Probably put the money somewhere safe for a year or two to see if they came for it. If not, spend spend spend. -
10 Million - I would give it all to charity and then watch the spotlight on the bank all the papers and TV trying to take it back from the charity.. Good luck with that..-
That would be interesting to watch!
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ah that would be great -
Nice.
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no because you are going to get caught.
most people are pretty stupid, and they will eventually (and most likely quickly) slip up and do something dumb that gets them caught. Staying hidden is pretty tough in this day and age, especially if you haven't had time to plan. -
believe me the bank always finds the money, not worth the hassle, but I'd ask for the interest lol -
They're going to get caught eventually. You can run but you can't hide from international bankers. -
I do not know, but I think that I would not.
I would by one small island in Bahamas and live my happy live :-) -
Honesty is still the best policy.Report the error. -
No. The guilt would eat me alive and karma would bite my @ss. -
I'd just consider it my portion of the bailout -
how bout if you are a taxi driver and a client forgets a few thousand in the back?
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8039240.stm
Or if some well dressed gentlemen forget a case on a bench?
www.elrellano.com/videos_online/1152/broma-maleta-bomba.html-
I'll take that as a very generous tip.
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Many people will never make $1million in their lifetime. Getting $10million out of nowhere is very tempting. I'll know what to do when it happens.
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No, I'd throw it into another account quickly. Then get the interest from it, then give the original money back -
I don't know...
It would be a hard call - that's an awful lot of money...
And I can live in a cave for a VERY long time.
LMAO!
But - I'm a pretty honest person - and I would expect to be rewarded substantially for returning the money. -
Blimey. These hypothetical questions... -
I saw the news in my country yesterday,i think if that's people be me i will inform to the bank for their errors.
Because it's very bad to withdraw money without the good heart.
I can't stay anywhere and can't sleep if my mind got in the flame of devil.
T - T' -
I'd want to keep it to be sure.
I would, however, very slowly, drag myself to the bank and inform them of the mistake that was made.
Anok makes a good point about how banks behave with the mistakes made favor their business. I've experienced this a few times, it's not easy to get the bank to undo their mistake when it favors their business. -
Cayman Islands, here I come!!!! -
Depends. My bank I have no. If it was Wells Fargo given all the damage they have done to me and the crap I put up with yup I would keep it and give it to the customers of Wells that had the same problems I did as there are thousands of us. -
I couldn't. I feel enormously guilty taking up a moment of someone's time, even if its important. I cannot imagine how I would handle ten million dollars I didn't earn.
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