Web Typo Costs Dad Over $60,000
Finder's keepers is a refrain echoed on playgrounds, but a Dutch woman might soon use it as her defense in the courtroom. According to DutchNews, a man from Wageningen, The Netherlands made a costly error while trying to transfer funds from his bank account to his son's. With one wrong keystroke, the man sent about $63,500 to a woman's account in Almelo.While most sane folks would simply return the misplaced money, this unidentified woman went on a spending spree, where she bought a car and paid off her gambling debts. Details are slim, but DutchNews writes that police found about $14,700 in cash hidden at her house. The man is taking the case to court in an attempt to get the money back.
When will people learn to slow down and read over the things they type? This unwillingness to edit has cost even the city of New York and Japanese traders millions. GPS typos have even sent tourists hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. Our high-school English teachers had it right all along. [From: DutchNews]
Wacky Sign Hacks and Mistakes
In 2008, a group of students at MIT pasted funny "DANGER" signs all around campus. Even the school's Visual Arts Center can't escape the ubiquitous Rickroll.
Hackers, seemingly pushing a pro-green agenda, figured out how to change the messages displayed on signs at the University of Toronto in Canada.
On first glance, this sign appears to offer up a normal set of bilingual directions. If you read Welsh, you may notice the problem -- the bottom translates to "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated." Looks like someone was slacking on the job, and the e-mail away message ended up pasted onto a sign.
This construction sign on the MIT campus was hacked in 2007 to alert drivers first that the sign had been hacked. The sequence was followed with, "Mass ave bridge closed," "Sunday 04/22/07 6am-3pm," and "to appease Godzilla."
This street sign in Reno City, Nevada was modded by the Glenn Group, an advertising company. While at first it doesn't seem to have anything to do with traffic, it may have helped combat road rage.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mystictrust said 7:55PM on 9-25-2009
Road sign hacks are hilarious :D
...I'm not sure if the man is entitled to his money back, did he bother to check the account number between the time after he rquested the transfer and the time it posted to the lady's account? That may have been his only chance to get the money back. Then again, I don't know law... the lady knew that wasn't her money
Reply
bunuhun said 1:32PM on 9-26-2009
You don't know? We call it ethics in the normal world.
mmcwill619 said 11:04PM on 9-25-2009
Suppose a guy goes into a store and sees his son standing in line with a shopping cart full of goods. The son says he forgot his money and would Dad loan him some. Dad says yes and pulls out some money, puts it into an envelope, and tries to throw it into his son's cart. He misses. The envelope full of cash lands in some lady's cart standing close by. She turns and wheels her cart back towards the expensive parts of the store insisting that since the money ended up in her cart it belongs to her to do what she wants with it and she is not going to give it back. Dad and son are flabbergasted but out of luck. Is this the way it should be?
Reply
bunohun said 1:28PM on 9-26-2009
You're kidding right? It's not your money, period. There are no questions here at all. Give the money to the rightful owner. What's wrong with these people?
Laquvpok said 7:04AM on 9-26-2009
She will lose simply because she knew the money wasn't hers. Legally, if you find money you are required to allow a certain amount of time to pass while it is being advertised before you can make claim to it.
She wasn't to bright on this one.
Reply
SpiceMonkey said 11:18AM on 9-26-2009
Yeah, hiding $14K of it in her house shows intent, she could probably be arrested. What lawyer in his/her right mind would even touch this case?
Misty said 7:13AM on 9-26-2009
she legally had no right to the money, and she knew dam well it wasn't hers. I worked at a bank, where an 80,000.00 error was deposited into the wrong account and the guy spent it figuring he wouldn't get caught - well guess what, the banks have all kinds of reports and back up paperwork that shows where the correct account the deposit should have went. He had to pay it back or go to jail. So the guy should definately get the money back, to be put into the correct account. She was down right wrong.
Reply
Foosie said 7:46AM on 9-26-2009
The problem is that the woman has no job and spent most of the money. Similar thing happened to my neighbor. Husband employed by RR company sent him a check for $29000 instead of $2,900. Wife spent all of the money. Took six months before they found mistake. Came after the money (spent). He lost his job. She may have to go to jail, but that does not get the money back.
Reply
CINDY said 9:51AM on 9-26-2009
I agree! She may have to spend some time in jail, but if she's unemployed, chances are, he won't get his money back!! If she's broke, where is she soppose to get the money??? I guess he could get her car though, cause it was purchased with HIS money!! What a tough break!!
SpiceMonkey said 11:22AM on 9-26-2009
Since you have no idea of her finances, I would say that your speculation is futile. The woman obviously has a source of income, I doubt she just lives on the air she breathes and resides on the streets. She has a bank account. She has enough money to gamble with. She bought a car with some of the money, which I assume has been impounded $60K is a lot, but it's not THAT much. Sorry, we're taking your house away from you and tapping your bank account. Thanks so much.
maxiesmom067 said 8:07AM on 9-26-2009
I do virtually all my banking and bill paying online and every site I use has at the very least a double check ("you are about to make a $**.** payment to ******. Are you sure this is correct?") Some sites require multiple password entries to the point of being annoyingly ridiculous. I guess this gentleman just showed me why. It's obvious the bank is not at fault, and it seems they have the proof that the woman took his money, and that he did not intend for her to have it. I hope he gets it all back and she gets some type of punishment for the theft.
Reply
dennisrmulljr said 9:13AM on 9-26-2009
Funny, if this was the bank that made the mistake they would be demanding their money back, and they would get it back. Why is this not any different. The lady should have questioned why there was all this money in her account.
Reply
maryamoses said 10:14AM on 9-26-2009
Has this lady ever heard of integrity? She knew that the money was not hers, and she spent it. That is called STEALING! Sometimes after making a purchase, I look at my receipt and realize that I was not charged for something. I go right back to the store and pay. To not do so is stealing. I hope that when my children witness this, they understand that taking something that you have not paid for is stealing. I hope that this man gets his money back, but I doubt that he will b/c the lady doesn't have the means to pay it back. I know I would be devastated if I lost that much money. People should just do what's right.
Reply
Rocky said 12:03PM on 9-26-2009
This was not a bank error so the bank is not culpable. The woman knew the money was not hers and she didn't attempt to find the error or the owner.
So I would say the man has to take the woman to court and get a judgement. Then they should be able to liquidate the assests she purchased using her 'windfall'. Whatever the liquidation yields would go to the man and the judgement would be against her future earnings.
The woman sounds like a gambler and jobless so total recovery of his money will most likely be hard fought.
Reply
Willow said 10:36AM on 9-26-2009
When working back in England, I used to have to go to the bank often to get money for our petty cash. One day when I got back to the office I found that I had an excess of 60 Pounds. Did I keep it..NO WAY!!!!!I went to my boss to recount the money to make sure it was all okay and that the 60 Pounds was in excess, to which he confirmed. I then promptly went back to the bank and returned the money.
Reply
banker said 11:43AM on 9-26-2009
same thing happened to me....somebody deposited $122,454 into my account. I guess it was for a home. It was cool because I withdrew the money right away and went on a gambling binge in vegas where I made ANOTHER $300,000 + so I was on a roll. After taking a much needed vacation I ordered 2 mail order brides and had each set up in seperate houses! Life is good and sometimes one persons misfortune is anothers fortune! I now run an online gambling business from the bahamas and trust me I make a ton of money and mostly tax free! What is real cool is I bought another identity so I can still be in the states whenever I want just under another name! And... I get government assistence now also.
Reply
johnsugarbabe said 12:53PM on 9-26-2009
Hey Banker, put the crack pipe down and go get some help!
carol said 11:37AM on 9-26-2009
It is very simple. She knew the money was not hers. What ever happened to ethics and integrity????
Reply
tvndaboro said 11:06AM on 9-26-2009
Shameful. I hope they punish her severely. I hope the judge presiding over this case realizes the fact that she KNEW she was doing wrong and that money belonged to someone else. Had she thought the money was not going to be taken back and given to it's rightful owner, she would not have withdrawn it all and 'hid' $14,700 at her home.
Reply
Christine said 11:09AM on 9-26-2009
No this woman was wrong in keeping the money! Why do you think she had it hidden in her house. She had to pay off gambling debts?? Does that sound like she is responsible? The man made an error, there are major companies that do the same thing. I'm not sure about Dutch law but here in the states she would be responsible for returning the money or go to jail or community service. What a piece of work this woman must be. Doesn't she feel guilty that this money could have been all that the depositor had in his savings? Did she not think that it may have been for an emergency or life threatening situation? I can't believe some of the people that are on our planet. Makes me wonder how much longer we are going to continue to be civilized???
Reply