# Co-Worker Gets Surprise: $1,600,000 Deposited Into His Account! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 28, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765 "2010-02-28T19:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/1 "2010-02-28T19:03:24Z")
The guy who heads our finance department had this surprise last week. Seems he was trying to pay off a large bill at Home Depot ($16,000) for some home improvements and tried to make the lump sum payment online. It didn’t work, so he called and gave his info to a “live person” in the billing department. Bam - suddenly they took the $16,000 out from his online payment, and another $16,000 from his call - putting him in a major overdraft - but luckily his bank understood and didn’t fine him any extra fees for the accidental double draft. So he calls back Home Depot and they see the error and promise to return $16,000 to his account. Imagine his surprise when, a few days later, his account was credited not for $16,000 but for $1,600,000! He freely admits he wishes he had snapped that money up and moved to some wonderful island paradise, but knows that would probably have been a bad thing. Sadly, the $1.6 million has now been returned (minus the $16,000 owed to him). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/2 "2010-02-28T20:14:37Z")
Did he earn any interest for the few hours or days that the money sat in his account? ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/3 "2010-03-01T20:20:10Z")
I would have printed out that statement, just to keep casually lying around 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/4 "2010-03-01T20:28:08Z")
I had fun going to the bank the other day and watching the cashier’s eyes widen when she saw my balance. Unfortunately, it was just temporary as money moved from one place to another. I bet it would have been fun to withdraw $20 from the account just to see the face of the cashier. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/5 "2010-03-02T00:50:45Z")
“Ummm…sir…have you ever considered opening one of our Super Saver Savings Accounts? You get a free hat.” ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/6 "2010-03-02T13:08:44Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I had fun going to the bank the other day and watching the cashier’s eyes widen when she saw my balance. Unfortunately, it was just temporary as money moved from one place to another. I bet it would have been fun to withdraw $20 from the account just to see the face of the cashier. eh, it’s not that big of a deal. As a teller, you kind of get desensitized to large sums of money. We have big businesses come in, professional athletes, and other wealthy customers. And there’s nothing quite like doing a bunch of business deposits and selling $60k to the vault to desensitize you to large amounts of money. Not that I wouldn’t love to have that money in my account, but it’s almost like you get a little jaded by the whole thing. Eh, what’s 60k? I’ll go through that on a Friday. But then, when I stop to really think about it, that’s more than I make in a year… lots more… and yet, that passes through my hands on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![clarkstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@clarkstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clarkstar)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/7 "2010-03-03T04:29:06Z")
i would spend that money so fast their heads would spin ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/8 "2010-03-03T10:54:13Z")
He could have done what [Patrick Combs](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2) did, after he deposited a junk mail check for $95,093.35. Pull the money out in a cashier’s check then put it into a safety deposit box. muahahahaha!! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/9 "2010-03-03T18:38:12Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > He could have done what [Patrick Combs](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2) did, after he deposited a junk mail check for $95,093.35. Pull the money out in a cashier’s check then put it into a safety deposit box. muahahahaha!! Interesting story, but somehow I think a team of lawyers would be able to get that money back - surely there has to be some vague clause in the Patriot Act or something that give banks the right to pillage and rape customers if need be, as they have been able to do for decades now. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-worker-gets-surprise-1-600-000-deposited-into-his-account/530765/10 "2010-03-03T18:42:20Z")
I see on our board that there are many well-schooled, intelligent Dopers looking for work. Will someone tell me why the knuckleheads working at these banks have jobs and our Dopers don’t?