My former employer has been direct depositing cheques into my bank since April. Everyone says you should immediately notify them and return the money once you notice, but I didn’t. The reason being that they had made this same mistake twice prior and I hadn’t noticed. Both times I ended up paying them back. Now I was really in a bind and needed the money. I spent it on rent, on car repairs, and on things for my kid. Now they noticed. I got a call from HR and went off on her. Needless to say, I made it clear I had no intention of repaying. The amount was not small, it was over 20k. Most of it is gone now. I don’t know what to do. She said she is going to consult her legal team. That means I will be getting sued, that I will be forced to pay. They will garnish my wages, ruin my credit score. You might think I’m in the wrong. I probably am. But why does it feel so morally wrong to me that I am responsible for their shitty payroll staff?