Due to the coronavirus, many are taking extreme measures to avoid germs when out in public. For some that means excessively using hand sanitizer, while others have taken more extreme measures, washing any item that may have previously been handled by someone else. For one person, their fear of germs ended up costing them quite a bit, as they destroyed $19,000 after putting it in the washing machine to kill the coronavirus.
The person from South Korea, identified only by the surname Eom, wanted to mitigate their risk of catching the coronavirus by cleaning items that may have been handled by others, including 23 million won, the currency in South Korea. After destroying the bills, the person went to the bank to ask if the damaged money could be exchanged. According to the bank, they returned 507 of the damaged 50,000-won bills, which is equivalent to $42, at half value.
The bank’s policy is to provide cash at equal value if the damage is minimal, but after being run through the washing machine, the money was totally destroyed. It is unknown why the person decided to use that method to clean the money. Clearly they didn’t fully understand the term “money laundering.”
Via New York Post