Bad Situation with a better ending

[Phoenix]

When University of Delaware senior, Devon Gluck, visited a campus PNC Bank ATM to withdraw some cash, he noticed the machine was making strange noises. The students that had been using the machine before him, seemed to have been taking a long time with their transaction. So, the finance major hesitated before inserting his debit card, and as he waited for a minute, the ATM mistakenly dispensed 18-$100 bills. Gluck said, “My eyes just opened really wide, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is $1,800 right here.’” After a few seconds of looking at the money, the student grabbed the bills and decided he’d figure out what to do with the cash later.

Gluck discussed the situation with his best friend and his father and finally decided to return the money four days later. The student who hopes to go into banking and finance said, “I mean, it was just eating at me at the time because it isn’t mine and I didn’t even know what to do with it.” PNC spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel said that while she could not comment on the details of the incident, the money had been mistakenly withdrawn from another student’s account and was refunded. Zweibel said, ““Honesty is always the best policy when talking about money, and keeping money that you’re not authorized to have for any amount of time is unlawful.” Gluck was not reprimanded and the PNC bank branch manager thanked the honest student for doing the right thing.

When did the banks make it illegal for you to benefit from their mistake? You realize by that statement by the machine even giving you the money you are immediately a criminal... The time it takes for you to take it inside the bank falls under the "any amount of time" Who writes this stuff? I know that someone probably has never been charged with it that way but that fact you can be is my issue. So in other words if you rub the cop the wrong way you could be charged with doing nothing but being present when the machine malfunctioned.

[P.K.]

When University of Delaware senior, Devon Gluck, visited a campus PNC Bank ATM to withdraw some cash, he noticed the machine was making strange noises. The students that had been using the machine before him, seemed to have been taking a long time with their transaction. So, the finance major hesitated before inserting his debit card, and as he waited for a minute, the ATM mistakenly dispensed 18-$100 bills. Gluck said, “My eyes just opened really wide, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is $1,800 right here.’” After a few seconds of looking at the money, the student grabbed the bills and decided he’d figure out what to do with the cash later.

Gluck discussed the situation with his best friend and his father and finally decided to return the money four days later. The student who hopes to go into banking and finance said, “I mean, it was just eating at me at the time because it isn’t mine and I didn’t even know what to do with it.” PNC spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel said that while she could not comment on the details of the incident, the money had been mistakenly withdrawn from another student’s account and was refunded. Zweibel said, ““Honesty is always the best policy when talking about money, and keeping money that you’re not authorized to have for any amount of time is unlawful.” Gluck was not reprimanded and the PNC bank branch manager thanked the honest student for doing the right thing.

When did the banks make it illegal for you to benefit from their mistake? You realize by that statement by the machine even giving you the money you are immediately a criminal... The time it takes for you to take it inside the bank falls under the "any amount of time" Who writes this stuff? I know that someone probably has never been charged with it that way but that fact you can be is my issue. So in other words if you rub the cop the wrong way you could be charged with doing nothing but being present when the machine malfunctioned.

Or following the Vice Presidents advice to the letter, buying a shotgun, firing it through a closed door and getting charged with negligent discharge. Although if his (the VP's) father were still alive I'd like to see him charged with the same crime.

[CWME]

The Bank will debit your account in the end anyway. Bet the cans inside the machine were pinned wrong. If the can that the 100's were in is coded as a 20 the machine thinks it only has 20s. All those transactions are recorded etc.
Had a teller of mine put twenties in a fives can, that was a mess. Funny looking at the transaction records though. Account X withdraws $20. They see they got 4 20's instead of 4 5's. They then withdraw their entire account trying to get as many of the twenties as possible.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Honesty is still the best policy. Just the way it is.

[km101]

Honesty has always been the best policy. The bank spokesperson should practice what she preaches. She inferred that the student was not "authorized" to have the money. That is a large gray area in this case, and is open to legal interpretation. She does not have the authority to decide that issue. But the bank will always win in the end. It's the "golden rule".....he who has the gold makes the rule.

But I'm glad that the kid gave the money back....it's the right thing to do, whether he had the money legally or illegally.

[Phoenix]

I am not saying he didn't do the right thing. My issue is the law stating that posession of the money for any amount of time is unlawful. I could argue that knowing I was not allowed to take the money I walked away and left it hanging out of the ATM. Somehow I don't think anyone would believe you, and you would still get the shaft in the end. Both legally and monetarily.

[wills]

Unless this character provides a copy of the relevant statute, you might want to wonder if he knows what he is talking about, or consider this may be a deliberate misstatement to discourage thieves.

[Phoenix]

Unless this character provides a copy of the relevant statute, you might want to wonder if he knows what he is talking about, or consider this may be a deliberate misstatement to discourage thieves.

I agree, however I have seen several stories over the last year of people being charged with a crime for the same behavior minus the return part. So I know laws that concern things like this exist Just don't know the specifics.

[starmac]

My son deposited a 3,000 dollar check at BOA's machine. it give him the deposit slip, but the machine apparently ate the check. even though they admitted he had deposited it, they never made it good. A couple of months later the people that he had built a fence for cancelled the check and wrote him another one. He decided I was right about BOA and took the check to another bank. lol

[uscra112]

Anybody doing business with BoA is sleeping with the Devil. Don't ask me to elaborate without you have a couple of hours to spare and a strong stomach.

[AricTheRed]

““Honesty is always the best policy when talking about money, and keeping money that you’re not authorized to have for any amount of time is unlawful.”
---Rant On---

So I gotta say if that is true the banks should be in hot water....

Also by that rationalization most of us would get off, you give me a dollar I'll spend it in about 9 minutes or less, just ask my wife! So I'm in the clear as I did not "keep the money".

Aditionaly, I'd tell them to "prove it". I went to the ATM, made a withdrawal of $x, got cash and left. Prove otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt, or "Suck It! PNC."

Money handling machines are held to a higher standard of accuracy than life support equipment, if a "customer" was accidentally enriched because of a "bank error in your favor, collect $50" at the ATM they are going to be stuck with it.
---Rant Off---

[s1120]

So... when a ATM give you the wrong amount of money... and it happands, they are braking the law, and unlawfully have your money? :D

Kid did the right thing though. Sadly I dont think many people would.

[imashooter2]

I suppose the law might well be written like that so that every thief that gets caught after a month can't beat the rap by saying "I was going to give it back." I would further suggest that taking possession of the money to protect it and walking directly to a police station or calling the police would be an affirmative defense.

This kid had the money he knew wasn't his for for 4 days. He stole it. That his conscience got to him in the end and he gave it back doesn't change that. He's damn lucky he didn't get charged.

[akajun]

I dont think he would have gotten charged, at most he would have had to pay the money out of his account, just a flub on the part of the bank official.

[blackthorn]

Last year I withdrew $400 from my chequing account at the machine. It pays out in twenties. I put the cash in my wallet and left. Later in the day i stopped for gas and when I pulled out three ($20's) to pay, the second bill was a $100. I went back to the bank and spoke with the manager who said there was no way for them to find out where that $100 actually belonged because their machines were serviced (filled) by a contract Co. so I got an $80 gift.

[Springfield]

blackthorn is right. My wife went to the B of A Atm to get some money, and when she took it there was 100.00 bill in with her asked for withdrawal. So she went inside and told the teller, who was very uninterested in the whole deal. But my wife insisted that they take down the info and get back to her if they came up short. She took the money with her, she is like me and has a basic distrust of institutions like banks. 2 weeks later the banks sent her a letter saying they have no idea if anyone was short and she can keep the money. I still won't deposit cash in an ATM unless the bank is open. Once it ate some of it and if they hadn't been open and immediately went and checked the boxes who knows if I would have ever got my cash back. And as an ex Armored Truck driver, if you ever see money fall out of one or it gets into an accident and it spills it is a Federal Crime to keep it, it is just plain stealing. But if the ATM gives you money and they aren't open, how could yo give it back immediately? The law may be on the books but they aren't going to charge anyone, it wouldn't be worth the time and money, my wife being a good example.

[2thepoint]

Honesty and the truth will set you free....besides you'll sleep a lot better!!

[Blacksmith]

Anybody doing business with BoA is sleeping with the Devil. Don't ask me to elaborate without you have a couple of hours to spare and a strong stomach.

+1 on BoA being the devil if they were the last bank on earth I would put my money in my mattress.

[dakotashooter2]

Many I have used have cameras. Pretty hard to get away with it for very long...................

[Philngruvy]

Many I have used have cameras. Pretty hard to get away with it for very long...................

I thought they all had cameras.

[wills]

I agree, however I have seen several stories over the last year of people being charged with a crime for the same behavior minus the return part. So I know laws that concern things like this exist Just don't know the specifics.

Unless the state does not have its statutes online, all you have to do is look it up.

[Epd230]

Remember: There is a big difference between an arrest and a conviction.

This case would/could produce an arrest for theft, but would rarely get a conviction, unless the kid was tracked down by the police before he found his way back to the bank to turn in the funds.

Arresting someone for grabbing incorrectly dispensed cash and walking it into the teller would be a PR nightmare, but not unheard of. It would definately make the nightly news with a bad slant towards the bank.

Correct response would to call the police and stand by until they arrived to take the cash, or notify the teller if the bank is open. If you are not willing to do that, then walk away and find another ATM to use.

You would have no duty to act in a situation that only involves financial issues.

[MtGun44]

Recently pulled out of BoA. One piece of the issue, but NOT the main thing is that
nobody in the bank speaks English as a first language and there are banners advertising
their easy way to transfer money to Mexico - in Spanish. Add in their evil rules
and arrogance and the package stinks.

Bill

[BLTsandwedge]

+1 on BoA being the devil if they were the last bank on earth I would put my money in my mattress.

Well, if it is of any consolation, in March of '08 BAC (Bank of America's ticker) was trading at $41 and change. In early '09 it bounced off of three bucks when they really found out what a *** they bought in Countrywide. It hasn't seen $20 since. I'm a bagholder on that one.....bought at $20- BAC has been living between $5 and $17 for years. No point in selling it- I don't need a tax break that badly. I figure my great-grand nieces/nephews will see an upside when they inherit it (my gift to humanity was to not pass on my own genetic material). Like the Oracle of Omaha said, don't take a real loss.........