Couple withdraws money, flees after bank error

[rpannier]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Police are looking for a New Zealand couple who disappeared after a bank mistakenly put 10 million New Zealand dollars ($6.1 million) into their account.

The couple, who ran a gas station in the northern city of Rotorua, applied to Westpac Bank for a NZ$10,000 ($6,000) overdraft and had 1000 times that amount paid into their account. The two then withdrew some of the money and disappeared, Detective Senior Sgt. David Harvey said.

snip

Massey University banking lecturer Claire Matthews said the "lucky" recipients likely would not get away with the cash.

snip

The pair would be hard pressed to argue they honestly believed they were entitled to such a huge sum of money, she added.

link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30860773/?GT1=43001

[ejpoeta]

1. why do i feel like laughing?

who would take the money like that! i mean, $20 i could see thinking maybe your checkbook is off, but $10 million??? uggh.

[Taverner]

2. I'd run too

Go them!

[BlueJazz]

3. I hope they get away with it and live happily ever after. Banks have been Screwing the public for ..

...years with those Ridiculous "Overdraft Fees" 35-45 dollars...Give me a fucking break.

[TimesSquareCowboy]

4. As Steve Miller said, Go on, take the money and runn.

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. They are no better than common thieves and I'd love to see them in prison. n/t

[rpannier]

6. I agree with you

The last part about how they'd find it difficult to claim they were entitled to the money is so correct, since they withdrew the money and then disappeared.
If they had stayed at home -- maybe.

[wuvuj]

10. That would have been the best plan?

Go home and just pretend nothing unusual had happened....eventually it would have all blown over. :thumbsup:

[rpannier]

14. The bank would have taken the money back

But, if they are found, it will be very difficult for them to claim they thought the money was theirs.

[Towlie]

7. It doesn't matter whether you believe you're entitled to a gift. You're still allowed to accept it.

No doubt these people will ultimately have to return the money, but they're certainly not guilty of any crime. It's not like they conned the bank into giving them that money. The bank took it upon itself to give it to them, and getting it back from them is the bank's problem.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Prolly in Bora Bora sipping those Coronas or fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas ...a grand vacation

before returning home to face music....

[MrSlayer]

9. Good for them.

[Towlie]

12. Good for them, except they might draw this card next:

[MrSlayer]

13. Maybe, maybe not.

I hope not.

[MineralMan]

11. The bank's lucky they weren't smarter.

A clever person would have arranged an electronic transfer to a bank in another country...then fled.

Silly people...they went to the bank and got cash. Lucky bank.

[earthworship]

15. no one gets away scot free anymore NT