A moral dilemma. What would you do?

AndyInYorks

vet8 wrote: »

I know bank staff like to say that ATMs never make mistakes, but you do read in the press every now and again about cash points which give double the money asked for and similar events and there is always a huge queue of people trying to take advantage of the bank's mistakes.

Strictly speaking the ATM isn't making a mistake, whoever filled it up has made a mistake by putting 20s in the slot where 10s should go.

In those cases the bank tend to work out who's had what and debit the accounts anyway.

In this case, I would have returned the money. Actually I would have waited for the ATM to "suck" it back in so it could be re-credited to the account.

It's funny how people think us bankers are morally corrupt.... yet as far as I can see loads of people would be happy to steal someone else's money.

BigAndy_79

It really is "one of those." 'Obviously the right thing to do' is return it. It would be tempting to pocket the cash, but I think as there was a CCTV in view of the machine for piece of mind and to prevent it, as someone put it, "from biting you on the !!!!!", then returning it was the correct option.

Interesting thread and good on your bro...;)

never-in-doubt

BarclaysManager wrote: »

I'm American (and lived in the US for much longer than I have the UK), and we're first at everything... and I'd still give it back.

You're right there - first at creating a conspiracy to overthrow Bush (9/11) and first to cause a war and leg-it when the going gets tough (Vietnam) and the first to torture and mame innocent people (everyday occurrence) and the first to cripple the finance markets (current crisis)

and you expect people to respect you...... :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

bumpoowee

never-in-doubt wrote: »

You're right there - first at creating a conspiracy to overthrow Bush (9/11) and first to cause a war and leg-it when the going gets tough (Vietnam) and the first to torture and mame innocent people (everyday occurrence) and the first to cripple the finance markets (current crisis)

and you expect people to respect you...... :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

what provoked this exactly?

never-in-doubt

bumpoowee wrote: »

what provoked this exactly?

his idiotic post (and we're first at everything) that I quoted in the provocation! And your point is.........

Extant

bumpoowee wrote: »

what provoked this exactly?

Oh, he has some silent vendetta against me, don't worry.

jimb0d

Something similar to this happened to me.

I saw a man walk away from the machine - i was next on. £300 came out and i picked it up instinctively - never crossed my mind to let it be eaten again.

I counted it while stood at the machine. I had just paid £300 in student fees. I couldnt decide what to do.

But in the end i ran down the street and found the bloke.

He muttered something about ' card not working', pocketed the cash and and walked off. No thankyou, nowt!

A week later I went to another cashpoint and £20 was there. I didnt see anyone about so I took the money. It felt goooo000ddd.

Extant

never-in-doubt wrote: »

You're right there - first at creating a conspiracy to overthrow Bush (9/11)

This is just tinfoil hat nonsense.

and first to cause a war and leg-it when the going gets tough (Vietnam)

You have a remarkable ignorance of your own history, as I assume you are British. I refer you to the Boer War and The War of 1812 for two very recent and prominent examples of the British doing exactly the same thing that you accuse us of.

and the first to torture and mame innocent people

I refer you to the punitive actions of the British Army in British India and Mesopotamia. These were justified by the British claim that the rules of warfare only applied between "civilized nations."

(everyday occurrence)

Isolated occurrences that have been quelled.

and the first to cripple the finance markets (current crisis)

First to cripple the finance markets? No, that was the Bank of England in the 1790s with the Napoleonic wars.

kprigg

Ive had this when there was £20 left in a ATM when I was on a night out. I pocketed the money & bought a round or two of drinks, but I felt really guilty.
Not that long after the same thing happened while I was shopping. I called after the woman who had left it & then chased after her. She looked at me like I was something off her shoe, snatched the money & walked away with no thanks at all!
I think it would depend on the amount of money involved - I would pocket £20, but dont think I could sleep easy if it were £300 so would have given it back.

wayne99

first off please excuse my spelling.

Embarasing but on a night out i was really intoxicated (polite way of saying it) i went to a cash point and withdrew 150 quid, but i was so drunk when my card came out i walked away with just the card and didnt wait for the cash lol (can laugh about it now)

I realised a few hours later what i had done when i was tring to pay for a taxi...

the following monday i went to the bank, they said someone must of taken it now to be honest iam still unsure to this day if that statement was true or if the bank have some kind of internal account where the money goes into if this kind of thing happens and the cash goes back into the machine ? ..

anyway, if i found money in the cash draw in a atm before it happened to me i would of given it back to the bank, but my feelings now are that i would pocket it to re-coop the money i lost, plus i dont trust the banks to give it back to the customers if it went back into the atm.