MSN has added to their homepage the "heartwarming"story of a poor (foodstamps, etc.) McDonalds employee who found 185,000 US and returned it to its owner! Well you say, that’s a legitimate story, a poor person who could really use the money returned it instead of stealing it- not that uncommon, but still a feel good story for the holidays, no? Uh no, it wasn’t cash, it was a check. A check made out to someone else, who did not share our heroes first or last name. Where’s the fucking story? Guy returns something that he found that he could not possibly exchange for money or anything of value to him, and if he tried, he’d be caught and arrested? Sheesh- it is that slow a news week, or is the writer of the story an idiot, or am I, for missing something? Or is this a preliminary Onion column, before the funny bits were added?
Considering that msn recently reported remarks overheard from the waiting room of a therapist’s office [within which (if the story is true) Oprah and Stedman were having a session] the reporter in your story was probably amazed to find any evidence of moral behavior. Anywhere.
I thought the same thing you did when I saw that. What was the person going to do with it? While I personally have never cashed a $185,000 check, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the bank is going to ask the person who tries to cash it for a photo ID.
ETA: And what’s with the implication that people who don’t have a lot of money are inherently less honest than other people? I hate that about these kinds of stories.
“Damone said that although he knew $185,000 could pay his rent and other bills for a long time, he was never tempted to try to cash it and splurge.”
Like you said, how exactly does one attempt to cash a $185,000 check that’s not made out to them? That would be the shortest visit to the bank ever.
Also, losing a check for $185,000 is not the same as losing $185,000. If it was lost and never found a simple check cancelation and cutting of a new check wouldn’t have been that disasterous.
Just another ridiculous nonstory. I guess there’s nothing really important going on. . . like a WAR or something. . . .
The story says he “didn’t think twice” about trying to cash it. Good, because he couldn’t. Banks generally frown on people who don’t have large accounts with them cashing checks for $185,000, with or without ID.
This story should win a stupid-on-so-many-levels award.
I’m thinking now what the writer was really trying to say was that its touching the poor guy didn’t say “fuck this rich asshole” and tear up the check and put it in the trash. And taking a bus to return it instead of calling someone to come get it tells me he was looking for a bit of reward. 
I read that article on another website, and one of the people made a comment that the check was made out to bearer. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, that changes things.
When would someone make out a check for that amount to the bearer?
It would still raise questions at the bank. I just deposited a check quite a bit of money. They wanted ID. They checked through my recent deposits to make sure I was the kind of person who had access to that kind of money, they called the issuing bank, they had me talk to the bank manager and explain where the check had come from (sale of stock). They were quite nice about the whole thing and at no point accused me of being either dishonest or stupid - but it was pretty obvious the process was in place to make sure I wasn’t one or the other or both.
ETA: oh, and they still put a hold on the money.
If true, that would explain it, but you’d have to be a fucking moron or Mr. Burns to do something that archaic in this day and age.
Also, aren’t all bank exchanges over 10k reported to the law?
Maybe the poor guys name wasn’t Cash?
Ok Mr. Damone, I see you have… no account with us and wish to cash this $185,000 check made out to someone else. Sounds good! Would you like your money in a silver briefcase or in bags with dollar signs on them?
Here’s my problem with the whole story.
Someone loses a check, someone else finds and returns the check and gets a $50 reward. In this chain of evens, who deemed it neccesary to call the news and fill them in on it?
I found that to be rather odd, too.
Returning the cheque was the right thing to do. Simple. Why does news have to be bad news?
The issue with the story isn’t that it’s not bad news, it’s that it’s stupid news.
I, too, when seeing the story earlier today, thought, “Well, no shit he didn’t try to cash it, because he couldn’t have!” That is not a news story- it’s lame, lame, lame.
Last year around this time a customer gave me a check with the decimal in the wrong place. The check was for $2000, instead of $200, (It was a computer check so the written part said two thousand dollars as well) AND it was written to the business I work. When I returned it, I asked her if she would have noticed if I hadn’t brought it to her attention. Nope. All checks at their business go through three checks, one person writes it, one person signs it (it already made it through those) and they have a third party the audits their books each month. Since it was Christmas season, they auditors woudn’t have thought anything of it. I could have kept it and NEVER been caught. I even could have kept the additional part for myself (as opposed to putting it into our bank account). Where’s my news story.
I think that story ran because in our ever expanding, me-me-me, I want mine NOW society, folks have a pathetic need to be recognized. Even for something as ordinary as returning a lost check.
Stand by for a whole series of articles in the same vein:
“Casual passerby waves to stranger. Stranger waves back!”
“Wal-Mart shopper gives up choice parking spot! Crowd cheers!”
“Man holds door open for Woman. She thanks him!”
“Elderly Gent picks up gum wrapper. He places it in the appropriate receptacle!”
He could have dressed in black.
Only if it’s cash. Had the guy gotten green for the check, it would be reportable, but if he just deposited it into his own account, then no.