Runaway Millionaires

[Australis]

This made me laugh out loud this morning:

An international manhunt is underway for a New Zealand couple who have allegedly fled the country after a banking blunder accidentally landed nearly $8 million in their account.

In short, they asked for a small business improvement loan ($10,000) and found something else entirely, and suddenly headed for points OS.

I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation. On one hand, honesty is usually the wiser course. On the other hand, it's a Big Bank, responsible for at least part of the global situation, and regionally specific to Australia and New Zealand.

Thoughts

Link t the full story:
http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=816287

 

[miraclefan]

If it were me, I'd give them the money back to the bank the very second I noticed something ''funny'' that's just the kind of guy I am. And ''Australis'' your Signature is from the Venture Bros episode ''ghosts of the sargasum'' correct? just slightly changed?

 

[SicOne]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

 

[Australis]

And ''Australis'' your Signature is from the Venture Bros episode ''ghosts of the sargasum'' correct? just slightly changed?

Thanks for that - I found it somewhere else but didn't know what it was from, and amended it to more match my Real World teen years.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I'd probably take the money and run.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Eh, running is too much trouble.

 

[Roger Wilco]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

Are you kidding? 8 million is easily enough to live a phantastic life anywhere in the world.
Say you're 20 and you're planning on getting 100 years old, that would be $100K a year to spend even if you're not getting any interest on the money - that's more than plenty.

One thing about this story I don't understand though is, how did they withdraw the money? Surely a bank transfer of such proportions would have to be approved by someone? And where did they put the money? I wouldn't know how to even start hiding the money if that happened to me.

 

[Technomage]

It appears as though the couple in question are Chinese nationals, and are probably now back in China, according to the latest report:

CLICK HERE

Probably no chance of catching them now, or all of the cash, either!

 

[Sledder]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

8 million not enough to enjoy the rest of your life? What kind of a life do you live?

 

[John Picard]

$8 million sure would buy a lot of hookers and blow.

 

[Star Wolf]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

8 million not enough to enjoy the rest of your life? What kind of a life do you live?

Must be a sports agent who makes a living telling us he client can't get by on $50 million, to play 200 games.

 

[Starbreaker]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

8 million not enough to enjoy the rest of your life? What kind of a life do you live?

SicOne is Bill Gates.

 

[Mooch]

good luck to them.
now they just have to convert it into cash, change their identities and go hide somewhere!

 

[miraclefan]

And ''Australis'' your Signature is from the Venture Bros episode ''ghosts of the sargasum'' correct? just slightly changed?

Thanks for that - I found it somewhere else but didn't know what it was from, and amended it to more match my Real World teen years.

Hey, at least your puberty wasn't ''UNEVENTFUL'' like poor Rusty Venture's!

 

[SicOne]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

8 million not enough to enjoy the rest of your life? What kind of a life do you live?

SicOne is Bill Gates.

Damn! Busted!

 

[SicOne]

8 mil is pretty nice, but not quite enough to enjoy the rest of your life in a country that (1) is civilized and (2) doesn't have an extradition treaty with the Kiwis.

8 million not enough to enjoy the rest of your life? What kind of a life do you live?

A modest one, but comfortable...but I am concerned about being able to keep that up, long-term, without a steady income. And I wouldn't want to have to return to the work force.

OK, intellectual exercise time. Let's break it down (my wishes are in parenthesis).

How much do you need to purchase...

(1) A nice house in the country that will be your new home? Remember now, my young padawans, most civilized nations have criminal extradition treaties with other civilized nations? (modest South American nation that has electricity and running water and Internet access, but also has ways around extradition...see #3 below; house wouldn't be too flashy but would be of robust construction, with panic rooms and gun cabinets)

(2) A nice car to get around in that nation? (nothing too flashy; a nice reliable SUV that doesn't attract too much attention)

(3) Protection from the law enforcement authorities? (again, very important as you don't wanna be forced at gunpoint by your former countrymen to face the music back home, as well as enough to make it worth local law enforcement's while to keep you around in the long term)

(4) Goodies to fill the nice house with? (again, nothing too flashy, but enough to keep me busy and entertained, as I wouldn't want to walk the streets much to keep from getting nabbed or squeezed by the authorities)

(5) Company to keep? (probably have Mrs. SicOne and I in to the plastic surgeons so I could come out looking like Brad Pitt and she like Scarlett Johanssen)

Don't forget to keep enough stashed away in a nice interest-bearing account to live comfortably off the interest without touching the principal. ($2.5 mil at 10% annually would give 250,000 a year to play with)

Upon further consideration, maybe you could actually pull it off with 8 mil after all. I guess a lot of it would depend upon where you went and what standard of living you wish to have.

So how 'bout it? Where would you go and what would you do?

 

[Miss Chicken]

I think you have overlooked Technomage's post above which says that it looks like the couple were Chinese nationals and that they have probably fled back there. It seems that $4 million of the 10 million has been recovered so now they are sown to having 6 million.

I would hate to be in the shoes f the Westpac employee responsible for giving them $10,000,000 instead of $10,000. How do you manage to mistakenly put in an extra 3 zeroes?

So how 'bout it? Where would you go and what would you do?

I would have handed the money back. I am not a thief nor have I ever desired to live anywhere else but in the city I live in (and have lived in all my life).