A California woman found US$36,000 hidden in the cushions of a couch she got for free off of Craigslist, but what she decided to do with the money has people divided.
Vicky Umodu, who lives in San Bernardino County, told ABC News she’d just moved into a new place and scored a set of free sofas from a nearby family who was liquidating the estate of a relative who had recently died.
She said she was inspecting the new-to-her furniture when she came across something that felt like a heating pad inside one of the cushions.
“I was so excited, I was screaming, ‘It’s money!,’” Umodu told KKTV about the moment she unzipped the cushion cover and found several envelopes full of bills inside.
Instead of keeping the money for herself, she said she promptly returned it to its rightful owners.
“God has been kind to me and my children, they’re all alive and well. I have three beautiful grandchildren, so what can I ever ask from God?” she told ABC.
Apparently, the family had also found other envelopes of cash hidden around their loved one’s house, but only a few hundred dollars’ worth.
As a thank you, the family gifted back $2,200 of the money to Umodu so she can buy herself a new fridge.
Reaction to Umodu’s decision to return the money has been mixed, with many people applauding her honesty while questioning whether they’d do the same.
“I… I want to say that I have the strength of character to call and give these people this money back, but… I mean – they didn’t even know,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“The fam didn’t know the money was there. It was placed there by a deceased family member. It was a blessing that I personally would’ve kept,” another said.
“It’s the right thing to do. I would’ve returned the $18K I found in the cushion to the family too,” joked another.
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