Kiwis who took the money and ran located through Facebook update
The NZ couple who took off after a bank error dropped NZ$10,000,000 in their account have been finked out by a relative's Facebook update, which tipped off authorities that they're in China.
But their chances of being caught have increased after they were joined overseas by Ms Young's sister, Aroha Hurring, who posted details about their location on her Facebook page.Facebook blunder betrays NZ millionaires (via Consumerist)Police believe the trio are in China after Ms Hurring foolishly updated her status to say she was drinking the local Asian beer and enjoying the heat.
Her mother Sue Hurring, who runs a hairdressing salon in Blenheim, has been helping police with their inquiries.
"Well, you've got to have a laugh," she said. "It is bizarre.
"She's never pinched a thing in her life. Probably as a little girl, yes, but so honest."
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I'm willing to bet that the whole asian beer thing is just a well placed red herring.
Of course, this could all just be a clever dodge when they're really in South America...
I think that would be so cool if they kept a web log, and every time they move, they post photos of where they have been, but I suppose they'd get caught. It would be fun, tho, having the world cheering them on as they traveled the world.
In the words of Jenny, "Run Forest, run!"
Why do I feel like this is an elaborate viral marketing campaign?
Two months from now, we'll still be following these people, with a very strong desire to see Movie XYZ.
This would make for an interesting reality TV show. Sort of like Amazing Race, but they are being hunted down by cyber cops and such.
I write this as I'm enjoying the view from a beach in Thailand, not sitting in my gitch in my mom's basement.
I like the mother's reaction. Bless you, Kiwis.
I am still not sure what illegal thing happened here. Maybe a kiwi solicitor can help us.
1-they apply for loan
2-credit limit higher than application posts
3-they accept and withdraw against the unsecured loan which is considerably more than they applied for.
4-Holiday!!!
5-Cops chase?!?!?
Is it illegal to take out a loan now?
Are we required to check that we are not overdrawing our credit line?
Since when does Interpol chase civil offenders?
Why is this being treated as a criminal case?
Is there a judgement against them for non payment of debts?
How can they be in trouble this quickly even if it is a large amount, I know plenty of people who have been offered personal lines of credit for many times this amount. This is a clerical error and should be handled in that way.
We also learn that posting personal details on the Internet is for fools. Why do people even join facebook or other social network tracking sites, webmail and is a bad enough privacy invasion if things go wrong.
/facepalm
I really hope this was a ruse to throw the authorities off their trail. If I'd just buggered off with millions of dollars, the last thing I'd be doing is contacting family and letting them update their Facebook like morons about it.
Ms Young's sister have a different surname.
The sister came back. His mother and her daughter are still missing. But more importantly, so is his business partner. Why aren't anyone paying attention to that guy?
The retired truck driver, Teri Horton, that bought a Jackson Pollack at a garage sale for $5 was stealing too. It was error on the part of the garage seller.
Error = stealing.
Sounds like an really clever hoax to me. If it ain't, hell, who did they hurt? Take the money and run, man!
Waitaminute...they have $10m and are in China? Do you know how easy it is to bribe local officials in China? Are they expecting that local police are going to do an Australian bank a favor?
They'll never get these people out of there.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25528286-663,00.html
Aroha Hurring enjoying vacation on run from cops with $10 million that isn't ours. LOLZ
38 minutes ago Comment Like
Where is the guy or gal who dropped the loot in the account what country are they hideing in this is a movei that could have a real good ending .
By default only your facebook "friends" can see your profile. So a "friend" told the police?
I wonder how you could withdraw NZ$10 million?
It would be hard to do without setting off alarm bells.
So where are the people who made the wrong key stroke ,what country are they hiding this is ripe for a movie with a great ending .
Bloody family..
perhaps this will become a model for other, enterprising souls that have relatives who work in banks...
Since when does Interpol chase civil offenders?
Since the offended party is a bank.
Why is this being treated as a criminal case?
Because the offended party is a bank.
Do not underestimate the power of banks.
do not underestimate the vulnerability of banks.
Ah, so now they only need to locate them among 3 billion people. Easy peasy.
Wasn't the point of their emigration to China because of the lack of extradition with New Zealand?
So the NZ authorities could know the exact location of this couple, but are impotent to do anything about it. (To do so would violate the sovereignty of China and start a war.)
"I think that would be so cool if they kept a web log, and every time they move, they post photos of where they have been, but I suppose they'd get caught."
We should release their pictures to 4chan, so they can spam the web with fake sightings, lolkiwis and the like. Even if they are poorly photoshoped, it could work as a digital smoke screen.
So who has recent photos of them?
China
Population:
1,338,612,968 (July 2009 est.)
This money isnt the blessing they think it is. Its a curse and they'll never be rid of it until they return to NZ and throw the money into the fires of Mt Doom.
CAUGHT ON TAPE!
I just received this photo of the Youngs, who sponsored a 'rolling party' with a few close friends, touring "China". Party on, dudes!
http://pixpipeline.com/d/0df58ea4339a.jpg
? come now, there are no black people in China.
Ummm... maybe they're in Thailand, and it was a "black Tai affair"?
#13 I apologise if you're new to the global village, but New Zealand isn't in Australia.
^ True, but the bank in question, Westpac, is based in Australia.
The latest from the Herald says it will be difficult to secure charges: "Because the bank had, in effect, handed over the money, albeit by mistake, 'it can't be pursued as a simple case of theft'."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10574532
It has not been widely reported, but the bank has actually recovered $6M of the funds.
Let them keep the $4M and call it square(ish). Stories like this bring hope into the world.
They cannot legally be charged with stealing it anyway. They could only be convicted on some misdemeanor charge relating how they accessed the funds.
Goodbye, Pork Pie
A little Flight of the Conchords and that mixup will be sorted out in no time. ;)
Oh really? I thought you were Australian, like David Bowie!
"Ms Hurring foolishly updated her status to say she was drinking the local Asian beer and enjoying the heat."
Asia is more than China and its 1.3 billion. There is also India with more than 1 billion and Russia (mostly in Asia) and, uh, Thailand, and Cambodia . . .
@Takuan be warned. As the saying is said:
"Is that the truth or did you read it in the Herald-Sun?"
I applied for a credit card with a $2000 limit.
The same bank that they used gave me one with a card with a $5000 limit.
If I spend the money unwisely and then declare bankruptcy, is it theft of $3000?
They applied for a loan of a few thousand dollars.
They were given a loan of a few million dollars.
If they spend the money unwisely and then declare bankruptcy, is it theft?
Their best bet would have been to taken the money and put it on a roulette table on a single spin.
They would have had a 51% chance of losing it all and declaring bankruptcy. Let's say imagine that becoming bankrupt is a terrible cost to them personally .. say worth negative $2 million.
But they would have had a 49% chance of winning $10 million. That's a benefit of $10 million.
So the net benefit is -2*51% + 10*49% = +$3.8 million.
Mac
@ #28 Troofseeker:
"...who sponsored a 'rolling party' with a few..."
The term "rolling party" has a decidedly different definition in my world.
/unintentional alliteration