Couple Spends over $100,000 Accidentally Deposited into Their Bank Account, According to Police
Monopoly teaches us many life lessons about patience, hidden fees, windfalls and how cruel your friends can be. But not every lesson transfers so neatly to real life.
“Bank Error In Your Favor” is a great boon within the world of the game. In life, however, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
One couple from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, applied Monopoly Logic when they realized a teller had made an error in their favor — but they’ll be paying dearly for their decision.
Robert Williams, 36, and his wife Tiffany, 35, who normally have a balance of around $1,000 in their account, were surprised by a $120,000 deposit that showed up in their name on May 31.
State Trooper Aaron Brown told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette that the couple “admitted to knowing the mislaid money did not belong to them, but they spent it anyway.”
They allegedly went on a shopping spree that lasted two and a half weeks, according to WITN.
What did they buy? Perhaps the same kinds of things you’d buy if you suddenly found yourself in possession of a substantial sum: two four-wheelers, a camper, a car trailer, and an SUV.
They used some sense, though, also using the unexpected cash to pay off auto repairs and bills. Their kind-heartedness led them to even donate $15,000 to needy friends, which would have been a lovely gesture if it had actually been their money.
But the law caught up with them. According to police, when the bank realized its mistake, the Williamses had already blown through over $107,000 of the money.
Transferring $120,000 to the correct account, the bank — BB&T — slapped the opportunistic couple with that $107,000 in overdraft fees.
Brown clarified that despite the fact that the bank was responsible for the gaffe, it was the couple that would be “responsible for the return of all the funds.”
While Tiffany reportedly communicated to the bank that they’d work out a payment plan to make things right, the bank has not heard from them since June 21.
Of course, a simple silent treatment wouldn’t erase a debt that substantial, and the Williamses have been charged with felony theft and a $25,000 bail — which, somehow, was posted.
Nate Weaver, a neighbor, said he found the whole ordeal “kind of shocking,” according to WITN.
“With all the procedures the banks have set up, checking and double-checking and triple-checking, there’s no way anybody gets away with that stuff,” he said.
Another neighbor said he’d never have done something as dishonest as what the Williamses did.
“I would check in with the bank first before I did anything,” he said. “I’m not that dumb, but some people do stupid things sometimes.”
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