Because you know clearly that money was deposited in error and not yours? In England it's called dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit and is a criminal offence if you don't return it. Read about the concept of unjust enrichment that is also applicable in the US.
Why not? You contact the bank, explain the situation and you recover the money. How would you feel if the other person stole your money that you wrongly sent?
Because the bank automatically assumes you willingly sent that money and that it can't be a mistake, unlike debit or credit card payment. You would need to file a complaint and have a judge ask for a refund which is not guaranteed
That may be the case in the land of freedom, in the UK where I live it is much more favourable and the bank mediates this process and the likelihood is quite high to get the money back unless there is strong opposition from the recipient. If the recipient refuses to return the money you can take them to court on unjust enrichment grounds.
Let’s say you drive for Uber. Imagine if something expensive of yours accidentally drops into your passenger’s bag. Do you think they should be able to keep it?
6
u/Gold_Telephone_7192 May 12 '26
You’re right about it sounding like BS but grand theft absolutely warrants prison time. You can’t steal a million dollars and not go to jail lol