Niamh Spence
A woman in Colton in California made a startling discovery when she purchased a set of used sofas from Craigslist, after finding more than $36,000 (£28,000) in cash hidden inside one of the cushions.
Vicky Umodu originally found the sofa as part of a set via Craigslist, with the items listed for free.
She explained in an interview with ABC 7: “I scrolled down and saw free items. So, I clicked on it, and the first thing I came up with was this family that wanted to give a sofa, and everything in their bedroom set...I said maybe it's a gimmick, so I called them."
The set turned out to be no gimmick, with the family instead trying to get rid of items left after a loved one passed away.
Advert
Umodu received two sofas and a chair from the family, and made the startling discovery once she examined the furniture more closely in her home.
She noticed a hard lump inside one of the cushions and initially thought it could be a heat pad before realising there was no electrical cord connected.
When she finally unzipped the cushion she found several enveloped wadded with dollars.
She said: “I was just telling my son, come, come, come! I was screaming, this is money! I need to call the guy."
Good Samaritan Umodu returned the money to the family, who told her they had found other pockets of cash hidden throughout their deceased family member’s home.
Explaining why she returned the money, she said: "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?"
As a reward for her honesty, the family has agreed to pay for a new refrigerator for Umodu and given her $2,200 (£1,750).
However, not everyone is convinced they would be as honest and forthcoming if they found $36,000 in a secondhand piece of furniture.
On a Facebook thread, one person wrote: “Am I wrong for thinking if it were me I wouldn’t be telling no one? Not even my household.”
Another echoed: “I wouldn't tell a soul. What's wrong with her.”
A third added: “I definitely applaud her honesty, but the way the world is right now, I can't say I would do the same thing.
"We are all struggling to survive and I would look at it as a blessing. The family obviously didn't know about it, so in reality they weren't missing anything. They gave the man's sofa away and the money just went along with it. They would have never known any different, and they should have given the lady more of a reward than they did.”
Some Facebook users were just gutted they didn’t find the cash themselves, with one user writing: “Ugh why can’t I be lucky enough to find these things! Lol no one would ever find out!! Lol”
Another added: “I told you we need new couches lol this could have been us!”
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]