Long story short, is it stealing if you pocket unattended cash that someone (must be living in a la la land moment) has forgotten to take from their withdrawal? What would you do if you are in this situation?
Unattended Cash at ATM Machine (Hypothetical Situation)
MiaSanMia on 27/04/2018 - 14:02
Last edited 28/04/2018 - 10:06 by 1 other user
Last edited 28/04/2018 - 10:06 by 1 other user
Poll Options
- 16Take it & call it my day!
- 96Take it back to the bank & hope to be nominated as an Australian of the Year.
- 13Other solution - please suggest in comment.
Comments
Exactly what I thought of when I saw the title.
Other - wait until the cash is sucked back into the machine. It's what they're designed to do.
AMEN
Only if its one that holds the cash and not the one that drops the cash to a tray. Though the one that holds the cash is most common.
Otherwise hand it in to the bank or business which hosts the ATM.
You can only lawfully keep property which you find if there's no reasonable way for you to find its owner. Otherwise you could be charged with theft by finding.
cash won't necessarily be added back into persons account however
so, take half as finders fee and leave the other half sucked back in ?
Thanks for my afternoon laugh:)
Pretty sure there was another thread about a finders fee.
Anyway to the OP
ATMS are designed to take the money back in. They all have cctv so if the owner of the money perused it, you could be charged with theft.
Pretty sure there was another thread about a finders fee.
That was the Swiss dude demanding his cut: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/354557
Nice that he now thinks it's only "partly immoral", so progress I guess.
nunya
If you take it and give it to charity, does it even out?
claim tax deduction as finders fee
If you take the money, bear in mind that the bank may have your photo.
If it is a short enough time that the cash hasn't been sucked back in, the person is probably nearby - call out to them.
You: "DOES THIS CASH BELONG TO ANYONE?"
10 random people: "ME!!!"
I did that two weeks ago! Hundreds down the drain! No luck getting it back either.
There's no one else to blame, but myself for not paying attention!
Oh please, I am a millennial, nothing is my fault… 😉
Yup, happened to me as well a few years ago. Withdrew $200 after a night out and couldn't find it later that day. Had no memory of actually putting the money in my wallet.
Lost $80 a few years ago when i withdrew it in the middle of a busy shopping centre and 2 girls behind me ran off with it before I realised.
The ATM sucks the cash back in if it's unclaimed.
is it stealing if you pocket unattended cash that someone (must be living in a la la land moment) has forgotten to take from their withdrawal?
Haha! It is stealing.
You may also be charged theft by finding.
$20 I would just take it.
More than that I would take it to the bank, if it was open, and ask for a paper record that you gave them money.
If closed, I would take it to the nearest police station, and ask for a paper record that you gave them money.
This is what I would do.
ask for a paper record that you gave them money.
As ridiculus as it is, I'm pretty sure they only do that if you make a statement. Which may mean waiting a while and then explaining exactly what happened. I mean, if you have the time or inclination OK but it's a … process that is annoying.
You can just leave the money there though, it's getting the reciept that's the issue…
Most ATM's would have cameras these days, wondering what the thought process is of the 6 people who voted take it.
However, admittedly if I found a note on the street with no one around, I'll claim finders keepers on that.
Stagger up to the ATM (bonus points if you're holding a bottle in a brown bag), put in your flybuys card, push a bunch of numbers, take cash, stagger away.
Not that I've put any thought into it….
You'll have to stagger up to every ATM in hopes that someone left money there :D
While they may have your picture, there won't be a statewide manhunt or facial recognition software with access to facebook to be able to find the person who took it.
Okay you know the money isn't yours but you take it anyway.. sounds like theft to me. pretty straightforward.
Is no one going to point out that "ATM machine" is a tautology? I thought we had more pedants around here.
Describing the device as a AT Machine seem so foreign at this point, we can not go back
Automatic teller money machine.
What’s the problem?
*Automated Teller Machine
I tried to get some cash money from an ATM machine in the QVB building but I forgot my PIN number.
Hehe
I thought we had more pedants around here.
You rang?
It's called RAS Syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome)
I found $5 in a Woolies self serve once. On the way out of the shops I gave it to the ANZAC appeal people.
For a big amount I'd feel pretty bad and try to find the owner I guess.
Post it as a deal on ozbargain.
"Free $$$$ at *** ATM"
For some reason my mind is telling me the following:
If money is found in a bank, and handed in to that bank, then if it is not claimed it goes to the Federal Government. I believe similar would apply to ATM.
So, if you find money in a bank or ATM, I would knock it to the floor near/outside the bank, collect it, then take it to the local police station.
That way if it is not claimed you get it back. If it is claimed - all good. And if someone claims you stole it you can tell them you turned it in to the cops - no chance of a prosecution there.It's probably the person who used the Atm before you, so you could technically give it to the bank to track them down.
Stay in front of the ATM until the cash is sucked back in, preventing anyone else from taking the money & ensuring the owner will not be out of pocket.
money is not necessarily put back into individual's account though :(
It will be eventually when the bank investigates
Only if the individual comes back and gives account details/raises it with them
@original15: can't fathom why it's not automatically credited back. They have computer record of transaction time, value and person who did it, money sucked back in is same amount x minutes later with no transaction between. What more info does the bank need???
@BeamMeUp:
Who is to say the machine is able to tell what time the money is sucked back in and the amount sucked back in at that time?
Having left money in an atm before, it was not as automatic a process as what you’ve described. You’ve got to raise it with the bank and at the end of the day when they look for discrepancies between what the ATM says it should have and what it actually has, if it matches what you left at the atm it will then be put back in your account
If the ATM doesn't take it back I'd contact the bank or the police.
I'm currently on a bus and there must be at least $5 on a seat behind me, thinking of just letting it sit there or hand it over to the driver as lost property.
Edit 1: I decided to hand the money in as I was getting off.
Edit 2: got off at the wrong stop >:(.Anti-Karma ,
stop wasting everyone's time stroking your ego
Put it in a charity box so some church can send their kids to the holy land ,
America.
Vote in an online poll that I'd do the right thing and probably pinch it in reality.
Don't forget to leave a comment so everyone knows how virtuous you are too!!
The machine sucks it back in after a minute. You stand there and wait until it does. Then proceed with your own transaction.
There are video cameras on the machines. Technically it's stealing and they have your photo. I'd return to the bank.
It happened to me last week. I took out $100 while talking to a mate. Got distracted and walked off without the money. Realised about half an hour went back and obviously the money was not there. The following day I called the bank. Told the the situation maybe exaggerated the time it took me to to get back the to atm (a couple of minutes in my story and no one nearby). The fella on the phone asked for a number of details and credited my account there and then. I figured with all the bad press lately they might have been more lenient. Anyway definitely worth calling up.
My grandpa always said to return money you find if possible, you never know how desperately someone needs it (and it's quite likely more than you do).
My mate had 200 bucks cash handed in and returned to him at the supermarket one time. Do unto others, hey?
I found $200 in a St George ATM. I couldn't find the owner and it was after hours so I couldn't go into the bank. I took it to the police station. Nobody claimed the money so the police transferred the money into my bank account.
Way to Launder cash !
Just put yourself if the shoes of the person who left it there. I think that answers every question. Return the $ to the bank branch.
(Hypothetical Situation) - My @$$
Consider returning it to the bank.
I've done this and I saw the lady behind me pocket the cash as I remembered. She denied it and ran off when I went to get a security guard.
Such a stupid mistake, still kicking myself.I left 70$ in an ATM in Adelaide city cross last thursday lunchtime, if you're the one who found it OP? :)
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/371452