http://www.localnewsleader.com/kindred/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=116364

MINNEAPOLIS - An errant computer keystroke led the state to accidentally issue a $2.5 million check to a school counselor

She certainly won’t be a counselor for much longer.

Some people are truly stupid.

Very stupid.

I wouldn’t have spent the money either. I have to admit though, that I’d have looked up to see if they were in any way legally obligated to let me have the money. You know. Just in case. Loopholes, and all that…

Who accepted the check?  It should have been verified.  Stupid.

Her bank probably took it (and reported her to the feds, but that’s standard), and whatever bank the state uses probably paid it.  It’s not like it was fraudulent or even unusual for them, just an error.  The state probably didn’t even notice until they did an audit.

Yeah, you have to wonder why she thought no-one was ever going to ask for it back.
If she really wanted to keep it she should have laundered it and started a new life somewhere. Still, only 2.5 Mil….. and if you were caught in your new life it would be even harder to pay it back as you’ve have spent more laying low.
Or maybe there is just something wrong with me for planning on what to do in such a rare situation.

Even if you have to give it back, if you can stretch the time it sits on an account (for ‘safekeeping’) with a nice interest rate. It can add up nicely. And as far as I know they can’t make you give more money back than they originally ‘misplaced’ with you.

I was thinking just what FrostBird was thinking.  At least stick it into my savings account & let some interest rack up before I have to give it back.

That was my initial thought, too.

Yeah, but I think the crime is depositing the cheque in the first place.

Oh you could get around that one…you were expecting a large check, and didn’t even look at the amount, you just handed it over/slipped it into the atm/sent it up the tube at the bank.  Woops.

Maegan - 31 May 2007 06:52 PM

Oh you could get around that one…you were expecting a large check, and didn’t even look at the amount, you just handed it over/slipped it into the atm/sent it up the tube at the bank.  Woops.

Thats a lot of zeros that would go un-noticed. Maybe it was on one of those huge cardboard checks.