Reading the news is often enough to make us lose our faith in humanity, but from time to time we see examples of honesty and integrity.
Such is the example of sales consultant Daniel Franco de Oliveira, who lives in the city of Sinop, Mato Grosso, in central Brazil.
Brazilian news outlet Correio (among other outlets) reported that this past April 1, Daniel received a notification of an unexpected bank transfer of $275,000 Brazilian reais (nearly $60,000 in US dollars). Because of the date, he immediately imagined the notification was some kind of joke.
He realized, however, that the amount -- much higher than his monthly income of about R$1,500 ($320 USD) -- had really been transferred to his bank account.
Daniel reported the deposit and began looking for the owner of the money. Right away he checked with his own boss because he thought that maybe the company he worked for had made the mistake. It wasn't the case.
Continuing to investigate, he discovered that the accidental deposit had come from a grain broker in his home city of Sinop. The mistake had been made by an employee when making payments.
Once the identity of the owner of the money was confirmed, Daniel returned the money the same week and in recognition of his honesty, he was rewarded by the company with $3,000 reais.
Daniel felt relieved when he was able to return the money to its rightful owner, and told the press, "I can't imagine using money that is not mine."
