Image Attribution

(Owlet header image found via a Google Image search, and came from Etsy artist Bestiary Ink)

17 April 2012

What Would You Do?

Moral/ethical dilemma...

This morning I stopped at the ATM to grab some cash. When I went to reach for my moola, I noticed a piece of something sticking out of the "seams" on the side of the machine itself. I picked at it, and what do you know but a $20 bill came sliding out. Yup, a $20. I counted up my cash and this was extra. A rogue twenty.

So, being the good citizen paranoid person that I am, I walked into the branch to turn in the money. I didn't want to just walk away with the money... who knows if there were cameras around and mine was the last card in that ATM... Who knows, right? At the window I told the teller what happened. He looked at me in utter disbelief at my honesty and explained that he couldn't take the money either. Apparently, there'd be no way for the bank to track where the money came from, so putting it back in a bank drawer would end up making it look like the bank shorted a customer on a transaction. He kept shaking his head at me for wanting to turn in the money, and with wide eyes told me to consider it my lucky day.

It still feels like I took money that wasn't mine. What should I do with it? Get over my paranoia and consider it my lucky day? Spend it? Give it to a homeless person? Donate it? What would you do?

2 comments:

  1. I'm just like you, M. I would totally have walked into the bank. I would go buy a gift card for food and gift it to a homeless person, or donate it to your favorite charity!

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  2. I would have felt the same way! I say donate it and your karma will be clear. :-)

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