Tell us: Would you spend money mistakenly put into your bank account?

  LA VISTA, Neb. (AP) -- Finders isn't keepers -- even if the money is in your bank account.

At least according to authorities in Nebraska.

George Costa is charged with felony theft after investigators say he spent $80,000 deposited in his bank account by mistake.

According to the Nebraska State Patrol, more than $106,000 was credited to Costa's account by a Pinnacle Bank employee who mixed up account numbers.

His lawyer says Costa is willing to work out a repayment plan but shouldn't be charged with a crime.

This actually happened to me. The payroll dept sent me two identical checks for the same pay period.(I have autmoatic deposit of my payroll checks.) I called them to inform them of the error, which they would have discovered anyway. If I had gone ahead and spent the "windfall" I would have had to return the money or be fired, maybe even charged with a crime. Mistakes like these don't happen in our favor, folks. But try getting a refund for overpaying a bill. I overpaid a charge card, but had no luck getting a refund. I could have used that overpayment on another bill, but the credit card companies are heartless and indifferent.

It's the bank's responsibility to tell customers how much money is in an account and to keep track of it, that's what banks do! If the bank made a mistake it's their problem.

No - the bank will find it and if its not there to give back, you will be in big trouble. Otherwise, yes, I would spend it.

No,I wouldn't spend it,but I also don't think he should be charged if he pays it back.The bankers don't go to jail when they mess up our account.

They always take it back when they determine the mistake. Many years ago the bank credited my deposit to a wrong account. I was furious that my checks were bouncing when I had just deposited a large amount that I had gotten from selling some property. It was amazing how quickly they tracked down my money, corrected the error, appologized in writing to all my creditors for returning my checks and refunded me all my bank insufficient funds charges. The vice president of the bank commented that someone was going to be very surprised because they had already spent a great deal of the money that was deposited in their account in error and would now be owing the bank a large sum. It pays to be honest

I said no, my luck they would find the mistake before I could spend it.

Try proving you have money in your account when they say you don't. I bet it would be impossible to get them to agree with you. I am sure you would be met with the same type of disbelief if you conforonted them about additional funds in your own account.

If you have any common sense, you have to know they will figure it out an come after you to get it back.

While I, like many adults, have spent our entire lives dealing with the beauracracy, this was a mistake. The bank has a right to pursue restitution but criminal charges are obscene.

It is not mine to spend. I would report it to the bank.

Moral questions aside, I'd be afraid to spend money that mysteriously appeared in my bank account. I'd figure that sooner or later someone would figure out where it went and I'd have to come up with the cash right quick. Depending on the amount involved, this could get ugly.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! I say this as a credit union member who has had their money placed into someone else's account by a teller. I was lucky and caught it before anything could be lost.

No I would, someone else was expecting that money to credited to their account, I have had the bank mess up an account number and take money from my account that should not have been taken. The man should have notified the bank of the mistake, if they didn't believe him, let it sit for six months, then take it.

No! I work for a Credit Union, and it's not the institutions fault as a whole. The teller made a mistake, and we expect them to be honest with our money and our members. The Bank or Credit Union will keeps its doors open, but what about the teller's job? We are all human, and I think honesty is the best resolution. Cause I firmly beleive it will come back on you!

I work at a bank. That is never the right thing to do because banks have ways of tracking where money comes from and where it goes. It will catch up with the person eventually.

It's the same as stealing it.

Shouldn't spend it if it isn't yours.

Temptation is so hard to overcome. But I have in the past made my share of mistakes as far as taking something that wasn't mine. Mistakes are made all the time, but doesn't mean we are free to capitalize on others mistakes.

No, I wouldn't spend the money because for one it isn't mine to spend. Secondly, eventually someone will figure out it isn't my money and would like it back. Imagine if it was your money put in someone else's account by mistake. Wouldn't you want it back? Why would you expect anything less if you mistakenly received money? Then again, isn't this a sign of our times that we are even discussing whether we would keep something we have no right to? Just because you have been wronged at some previous time doesn't mean you are now entitled to now wrong someone. In the end, we reap what we sow.

I don't know if I would because it's the banks mistake. Why should you have to pay for THEIR mistake.