I think it’s probably fair to say that at some time or another we have all come across money that rightfully didn’t belong to us. Perhaps we found it on the street, or a shop assistant was kind enough to give us too much change.
Whilst it has to be said that such situations vary, personally speaking I’m never quite sure what to do. Keep it and treat myself, or do the supposedly right thing and hand it in. It also goes without saying that the depth of these feelings is very much dependent on the amount of money in question.
Now imagine if you can that you are a refuse collector. And just to make it even harder, Japanese. Give yourself a Japanese name if it makes it any easier. How about Ken for the boys, and Hiroko for the girls? All set now? Ok. One day you are working as normal, when you come across an ordinary looking bin bag. But inside is a cool 28,000,000 Yen (138,000 Pounds). All in crisp – and presumably untraceable – new 10,000 Yen notes. That’s an awful lot of money, and up to now only you know about it (and presumably the person who left it).
What do you do?
And before you make the decision, here is what that amount of money looks like when it’s invitingly laid out on a table.
Go on, admit it. You’d keep it wouldn’t you? Or at least some of it (like 20,000,000 perhaps!). Surely?
But not so the 60 year-old man who found that exact amount of money on Monday, in Saitama prefecture. He handed it in to the police. All of it!
I’ll admit there’s a lot to be said for being honest, but sometimes….