Money Moral Dilemma: Should I report my colleague for not telling payroll he's been overpaid?

MSE_Kelvin

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

A few years ago, I moved overseas for work and was given a €750 a month allowance. A few months after I got back I noticed it was still being paid, so I contacted payroll, who thought it had been stopped and asked me to pay back the €3,750 overpayment. Recently I had lunch with a colleague who moved back at the same time as me, who said his allowance eventually just stopped and he hadn't been asked to pay anything back. I feel like I've been punished for being honest, so should I ask payroll to look in to it, or is that just petty?

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Brie

I'd mention to the colleague that they are being dishonest and that by not telling payroll they could be dismissed without warning if/when it's discovered.  

TELLIT01

Your colleague was stupid to talk about the situation, but it's his/her problem not yours.

MalMonroe

Hi, you haven't been punished at all. You've been honest and you can hold your head up high. As opposed to your dishonest colleague. He'll be found out soon enough. If it were me that's a conversation I wouldn't have had with anyone else, though. And is he even telling you the truth? His is not an example to follow, whatever.

You may have petty thoughts about what's happened but it's really not up to you to report him. Unless that does form part of your job description of course. 

Someone is bound to spot the error, sooner or later.

grajay

Specific offence under the Theft Act of Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit.

Theft Act 1968 S24A
Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit.

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—
(a) a wrongful credit has been made to an account kept by him or in respect of which he has any right or interest;
(b) he knows or believes that the credit is wrongful; and
(c)he dishonestly fails to take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to secure that the credit is cancelled.

(2 )References to a credit are to a credit of an amount of money.

ripongrammargirl

For bad things to flourish it only takes one good person to say nothing.
Yes, tell payroll. I hate dishonesty. Those who do the right thing always get the short end of that sh**ty stick whilst the dishonest go through life getting everything handed to them without penalty…. Unless someone does the right thing and informs the relevant people. As far as I can see it is gross misconduct to carry on taking money that is not theirs. If someone did that with the DWP regarding benefits, it’s massive fraud and incurs all kind of punishments. Do the right thing and stop letting the lying, dishonest people get away with what they want.

El_Torro

I don't see any good coming by talking to payroll. Assuming the OP is not responsible for such things I would suggest they focus their efforts on things they are responsible for. 

Ed264

I agree with the first contributor, Brie. 

There is no need for you to do anything more than that.

bradavon

MalMonroe said:

Hi, you haven't been punished at all. You've been honest and you can hold your head up high.

I'd say having to find nearly 4 grand you've probably spent is being punished. It wouldn't have been their responsibility to inform finance to stop the payments.

MalMonroe said:

He'll be found out soon enough. If it were me that's a conversation I wouldn't have had with anyone else, though. And is he even telling you the truth? His is not an example to follow, whatever.

I doubt very much it'll ever be discovered if someone doesn't say. Finance have no reason to be looking.

dazedandCONfused_3

That’s between him and himself, seems strange he told you but I guess he thinks he can trust you? You certainly weren’t punished. You willingly and knowingly told them and they did the obvious thing by asking for it to be repaid. No punishment - just a choice you made, if it was because your morals demanded it at least.

It’s also possible you only told them because you were scared of the consequences if you said nothing and they picked up on it later. In which case, your colleague just had the greater risk appetite that you didn’t, which doesn’t say anything about anyone’s righteousness. 

The fact his just randomly stopped one day with no word about it makes me wonder if someone in payroll tried to just bury their mistake.

Also if you do get them to investigate, and they do find it and ask him to pay it back, it will probably be quite obvious that it was you who fed back the info he told you in confidence. 

It’s obviously up to you what you do, but I reckon it will come out by itself sooner or later, perhaps when the company has its audit. 

bradavon

I'd feel cheated for being honest. It wasn't your fault you were overpaid and I expect you had spent the money before you were asked to pay it back.

You don't know for sure he remembers the details right though and you won't be thanked for blabbing. You may have to put it down to life and move on.

You'd be well within your right to mention it though and morally you'd have a point. Just be sure you're okay with your colleague not speaking to you again.