# Bank Error in Your Favor--collect $92,123 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 19, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280 "2006-09-19T16:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/1 "2006-09-19T16:23:00Z")
Step One: Go home sick from work. Step Two: Deposit paycheck into checking account. Step Three: PROFIT! Which is pretty much all I did. I deposited my $921.23 for my eighty hours of irritation at my soul-suck-- I mean, work and realized that, after five minutes the teller seemed to be a bit confused about what to do. She called over her manager to assist with the transaction. I thought nothing of it until the manager (let’s call him Ed) asked me, out of the blue: “Do you want to buy a house?” Me: “Um, eventually, I guess.” Ed: “Well, you should really think about it. Why not take one of my cards? No, not that one. Yes, that one.” I thought this conversation had taken an unusual turn, given that with this deposit I would barely have enough to cover rent, bills, and the odd bag of Sun Chips. I thanked him for his help, then left the bank. Then I looked at the receipt. Me: :eek: So right now I have $90,000+ sitting in my account that has no earthly right to be there. Naturally, I don’t plan to touch the money, as I’m sure it will be discovered that I do not, in fact, make $1Mil per year working a rinky-dink 9-5. But I’m definitely keeping the receipt as a souvenir… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/2 "2006-09-19T16:27:55Z")
So, did you just say, “I’d like to deposit this cheque,” and the bank worker made the error? Make sure they don’t hit you with any extra fees. And don’t buy that big-screen TV just yet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/3 "2006-09-19T16:47:11Z")
Obviously, somone added two zeros, but… Theoretically, if the teller had to ask her manager to look at the deposit, and he punched in his code, both sets of eyes should have noticed that the check was for a little under $1,000, rather than $100,000. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/4 "2006-09-19T16:50:42Z")
Is this a “,” vs “.” issue? In Europe they reverse the meaning of the two in numbers. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/5 "2006-09-19T16:52:57Z")
Over-eager hamsters grabbed my post before I was even done! Two people were of the impression the deposit’s for an amount over the teller’s limit (typically a couple thou) for deposits - anything over that, a manager has to review it and enter their code to sign off on it. What does your payroll stub show? The sad news is that eventually someone will realize the error and want the money back. It might be this afternoon when the teller balances her drawer and finds it $91,201.77 short, or this evening when a proof operator runs their batches. Or, if it is an error by the payroll people, who knows how it will take before someone at your employer notices. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/6 "2006-09-19T17:14:27Z")
I’m not touching the money. In fact, I’m having a horrific internal monologue right now as to why I haven’t already called the bank to self-report the error. (The rationale, so far, is that if they don’t discover the error for long enough I might find a way to get plane tickets to Costa Rica, where there are no expedition treaties with the U.S.) Of course, I’d never do that… :dubious: The payroll stub shows the proper amount. It actually is an error by the bank. I’m sure of that, especially with the confusion preceding the deposit–I was the only person there and it took full ten minutes to load the check. I’m hoping they’re not cheeky enough to attempt to charge a fee for this! I’m 100% sure that they’ll find the error though at the clearing house, and even if not I’m (all jokes aside) almost 100% sure that I could never touch ill-gotten loot. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/7 "2006-09-19T18:12:25Z")
You should just go ahead and report it now, there’s no way you’ll ever get to keep the money. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/8 "2006-09-19T19:03:01Z")
Put it in your savings account and score some interest. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/9 "2006-09-19T19:43:05Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Put it in your savings account and score some interest. [/QUOTE] **DO NOT** do this. This could be considered bank fraud and land you in the pokey for a spell. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/10 "2006-09-19T19:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] You should just go ahead and report it now, there’s no way you’ll ever get to keep the money. [/QUOTE] I think he should follow Ed’s suggestion to buy a house. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/11 "2006-09-19T21:39:28Z")
[QUOTE=Billdo] **DO NOT** do this. This could be considered bank fraud and land you in the pokey for a spell. [/QUOTE] Spoilsport. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/12 "2006-09-19T21:45:37Z")
Get the difference in cash. Bring it to me. I’ll make sure it gets into the right hands promptly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/13 "2006-09-19T22:03:19Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy] Get the difference in cash. Bring it to me. I’ll make sure it gets into the right hands promptly. 😉 [/QUOTE] No way, I’ve earmarked it for a promising investment opportunity in Nigeria. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/14 "2006-09-19T22:13:22Z")
At my hometown bank, there was an elderly teller who kept making mistakes in my favor. Really, it was like fate was tempting me. Once, I sat in my car for a few minutes, holding several hundred dollars in my hands and a deposit slip showing I had deposited the same in my account, struggling against the temptation just to pocket it and drive away. I really needed the money at the time, and the little devil on my shoulder kept telling em I’d probably get away with it, but the petulant little angel on the other shoulder kept saying that it wasn’t the right thing to do and the poor little old lady would probably lose her job. Two weeks later, the same thing happened again. I was really a bit pissed about it because I didn’t need that kind of temptation again. It wasn’t fair. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/15 "2006-09-19T22:51:27Z")
I wonder if they’ll even call you, or if it will just be vacuumed out of your account? BTW if may be that they will take the whole thing out, before crediting the correct amount so don’t cash any checks one the premise you’ve still got $ 921.23 in the bank until you check the balance. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/16 "2006-09-19T22:54:40Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] Is this a “,” vs “.” issue? In Europe they reverse the meaning of the two in numbers. [/QUOTE] Not quite. The dot is never used as a decimal point; that’s always the comma. But you see both dots and commas used to separate thousands, as in 457,253,023. Obviously, you’d never use the comma both as a decimal point and as a thousand separator in the same number, but interestingly this is the first time I’ve even thought about the issue. Either way it doesn’t work as thousand separators are used three digits from the end of the number, not the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/17 "2006-09-19T23:05:29Z")
> **[Welcome goodthink.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2)** > > Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting,... This guy had something sort of like this happen, although he was the bad guy in some respects, and the banks were the bad guys in others. So… who knows? I’d pull the cash, hold onto it, and then contact the bank and inform them of what happened. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/18 "2006-09-19T23:58:26Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] [http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view\_stories.cfm?id=11&page\_id=2](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2) This guy had something sort of like this happen, although he was the bad guy in some respects, and the banks were the bad guys in others. So… who knows? I’d pull the cash, hold onto it, and then contact the bank and inform them of what happened. [/QUOTE] I read the linked story. God, what a self aggrandizing asshole! ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/19 "2006-09-20T00:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=astro] I read the linked story. God, what a self aggrandizing asshole! [/QUOTE] Oh, indeed. But it is a funny story. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280/20 "2006-09-20T02:25:42Z")
We had the opposite happen just this week (are there sunspots or something?). The bank deducted our Visa bill twice, which, since we just paid off our mortgage, emptied the checking account. The bank’s computer said, “no problem”, and cashed out one of our CDs to pay off the negative balance. All has been put right, but you can imagine my shock when I logged into the account this morning. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-your-favor-collect-92-123/373280.md?page=2)