Home Home, Law & Money
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

Moral dilemma

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Ok, so I received funding from my funding body to go to the States, funding which was administered by my university. Total amount was £2625 which I claimed before I went away. When I was away I bought a laptop which my funding was going to pay for as well. I got back and put a claim form in for approx £1200 to cover the laptop. Now, somewhere along the line wires have been crossed, cause today I got a cheque in for £3800. Looks like someone thinks I haven't received the funding for the States (£2625) and added it to the claim for the laptop money. So, essentially I'm getting my funding for the States twice over. Now, I know what I should do. I should phone up the university and say to them 'btw, I've been given this money twice. Can you send me a cheque for the correct amount please?'. But, and this is fairly natural and normal I think, part of me is thinking 'can I get away with this?'. Cause, if someone finds it out, I'll have to shell out £2625 back to the university.... Argh! Why can't people just do their jobs properly and save me the aggravation.... :( Any thoughts?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well I'm shit with money and I always throw cautin to the wind....I'd have it spent already!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm a very honest person so if it had happened to me i'd have let the uni know. Besides which how will it look if you take the money and get found out? It's not rightfully yours.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, that's the thing. They might not find out. It's unlikely I'll be given any kind of thanks for it either. Shit man, this is one of the hardest moral dillema I've ever had...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, that's the thing. They might not find out. It's unlikely I'll be given any kind of thanks for it either. Shit man, this is one of the hardest moral dillema I've ever had...
    lol I must be a bad person as giving it back would never enter my head
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm a believer in kama, what goes around comes around..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yep I believe in it too but Idon't give a fuck when it comes to something like this!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a lot of money. I think i would be too scared to leave it, couldn't you get in alot of trouble if they found out?
    It's also pretty evident that you would have known that the amount would have been paid twice and therefore the issue of trust etc would be brought up which could become a problem.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They might even kick you off the course if they find out you've taken too much knowing it was too much.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote:
    They might even kick you off the course if they find out you've taken too much knowing it was too much.
    hhmmm didn't think of that one......me being me though, the twat I am I'd still do it!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wow, I'm suprised by the out-pouring of moralism here :p Keeping the money wouldn't be in any of your minds at all (except vinal vicky)? Yes, it is a lot of money, and I know the right thing to do is to inform the university. Le sigh....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wow, I'm suprised by the out-pouring of moralism here :p Keeping the money wouldn't be in any of your minds at all (except vinal vicky)? Yes, it is a lot of money, and I know the right thing to do is to inform the university. Le sigh....

    I would definitely want to keep the money, and it might take me a bit of time to 'realise' that they had over paid me. But I'd be too concerned about the possibility of being caught to take it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What about if I put it in a high savings account, not spend it, and if they ask for it back I can plead ignorance and hand it back?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You could do that - I would check your contract if you have one - I know its really not the same but with the EU grants we get at work we have to pay them back any interest we earn on the money they have given us...

    However i'm sure someone at somepoint will reconcile thier accounts and ask for the money back. I had someone phone up the other week asking for some money back that we hadn't spent a year after I wrote asking them weather they wanted it back.

    Howeve I do sympathise with you and I have done something slightly similar in the past - when renewing my lease on a flat I had to resign a contract with my landlord - he sent it to me already signed for me to send back - but I notice he had put the wrong price on the contract - I think it was for about £200 less than the agreed price - but has he had already signed it - I did as well and reduced my direct debit. Now morally I should have probably noticed the mistake and phoned him up to tell him - but you know he was old enough and rich enough and should have read the contract before he signed it - ahaha.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would definitely give it back. It's like, if you accidentally scratched someone's car you could just leave and they'd be unlikely to find out it was you, but it wouldn't be a very nice thing to do. Equally it's not very nice to keep money you know isn't yours, even though there's a chance no-one would ever find out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd give it back because otherwise you'll end up in the shit when they discover it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At least you'd get peace of mind.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have to say I'm with your high interest savings account idea, at least for the time being.

    I got my scholarship paid this year which I debateably am no longer eligible for, but they've got all the info and they sent the cheque so I'm taking it.

    TV licesing over paid my refund, but you can be damn sure I'm keeping that money too.

    It's your call but I'd sit on it for a bit, don't spend it, don't do nothing, just stick it in savings and if at some point you get an moral idle moment email someone from finance and ask them to clarify what that cheque covered.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have to say I'm with your high interest savings account idea, at least for the time being.

    I'm not.

    If the university realise their error you can be held culpable for not returning it (it is technically theft), and you could be responsible for the statutory rate of interest from the day you received it. The statutory rate of interest is 8%, and not even ISAs pay out at that level.

    If you hand it back promptly you're not culpable and not liable.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Although for it to be theft they would have to prove that you knew you shouldn't have had it.

    If they've sent you money for your costs and your grant while you were in the States then you've got no reason to question why they are giving it to you, and you've got no reason to think it was an error.
Sign In or Register to comment.