AITA Stories

Coworker Demanded Money But Refused to Show Where It Went

📅 November 30, 2025 👁️ 12 views ⏱️ 6 min read

Picture this: you’re fresh out of college, starting your dream job, and a friendly coworker invites you to join a “harmless” office social fund. Fast forward a few months, and you’re locked in a workplace standoff that has the entire internet questioning whether you’ve stumbled upon the world’s pettiest embezzlement scheme. Buckle up, because this story has more red flags than a Soviet parade.

Meet our protagonist, a 24-year-old woman we’ll call Sarah, who recently landed her first full-time gig after graduation. Like many eager new employees, she wanted to fit in with her small department team. So when her coworker Liam pitched the idea of an optional social fund – everyone chips in monthly for birthday treats, team lunches, and little surprises – it seemed like a no-brainer way to bond with colleagues.

Here’s where things get interesting. Liam positioned himself as the fund manager, with everyone sending their contributions directly to him. No formal tracking, no receipts, no transparency – just good old-fashioned trust among coworkers. What could possibly go wrong?

Sarah’s mom had drilled one crucial lesson into her head: always know where your money is going. Armed with this wisdom and a genuine desire to track her spending better, Sarah made what seemed like a perfectly reasonable request last month. She asked Liam for a simple breakdown of what the fund had purchased so far.

His response? “Yeah, I’ll get it to you later.”

Plot twist: Later never came.

When Liam hit her up for the next month’s contribution without ever providing that breakdown, Sarah politely asked again. Radio silence. She followed up a few days later – still nothing. Meanwhile, this guy was actively responding to other messages in their work group chat, making his selective silence even more glaring.

The audacity reached peak levels when Liam strolled over to Sarah’s desk last week with a casual, “Hey, you still haven’t sent your part for the fund this month.” Sarah, channeling her inner boss energy, calmly explained she’d be happy to pay once she received the breakdown she’d requested.

Y’all, his reaction was everything. This man’s whole demeanor shifted faster than a mood ring in a sauna. He sighed dramatically and delivered this gem: “Nobody else needs this level of detail. It’s supposed to be casual. You’re making it weird.”

Then – and I cannot stress this enough – he walked away mid-sentence. The sheer disrespect!

But wait, it gets worse. Now Sarah’s dealing with workplace peer pressure that would make a high school mean girl proud. Coworkers are “hinting” that she’s overthinking everything and creating unnecessary work for poor, innocent Liam. One colleague even had the nerve to call her stingy for not just blindly forking over cash like everyone else.

The Internet Has Thoughts

When Sarah took her dilemma to Reddit, the response was swift and unanimous. One top commenter didn’t mince words: “Liam’s embezzling or at the least, mismanaging the fund. He’s lashing out because you’re about to end his gravy train.”

Another user perfectly captured the situation: “No one flies to unhinged nonsense unless they’re trying to cover something up by deflecting/diverting attention from themselves.” The consensus was clear – legitimate fund managers don’t act like this when asked for basic transparency.

Here’s what makes this story absolutely wild: we’re talking about a workplace social fund, not Fort Knox. If Liam had been legitimately using the money for its intended purpose, showing receipts should be easier than microwaving leftover pizza. The fact that he’s treating a simple request like Sarah asked for his social security number and mother’s maiden name is beyond suspicious.

Red Flags Everywhere

Let’s break down the red flags here, because they’re multiplying faster than rabbits in spring. First, there’s the immediate deflection when asked for accountability. Then comes the selective communication – responding to other messages while pointedly ignoring financial inquiries.

The guilt-tripping is particularly insidious. Liam’s trying to make Sarah feel like the unreasonable one for wanting basic transparency about her own money. Classic manipulation 101: make the victim question their perfectly rational boundaries.

And can we talk about the flying monkeys – sorry, I mean coworkers – who are now pressuring Sarah to just “go with the flow”? This is how workplace financial shenanigans persist. Everyone’s so afraid of “making waves” that they enable questionable behavior.

The most telling part? Liam’s dramatic personality shift when pressed for details. If you’re legitimately managing money and someone asks for a breakdown, your reaction should be “Sure, let me grab those receipts,” not “You’re making this weird and nobody else cares.”

What Would You Do?

Sarah’s instincts are absolutely on point here. She’s not asking for a forensic audit – just a simple list of purchases. Any legitimate fund manager should have this information readily available, probably in a group chat or shared document for everyone to see.

The fact that Liam is treating this request like a personal attack suggests there’s something worth hiding. Whether he’s pocketing money, using it for personal expenses, or just wildly mismanaging funds, his behavior screams guilty conscience.

Sarah’s also smart to stand her ground despite the peer pressure. It’s easy to cave when coworkers start labeling you as “difficult” or “overthinking,” but financial boundaries aren’t negotiable. Your money, your right to know where it goes – period.

This whole situation raises some fascinating questions about workplace dynamics and financial transparency. Should informal office funds require formal tracking? How do you handle peer pressure when you’re the only one asking reasonable questions?

What would you do in Sarah’s shoes – cave to the pressure and pay up, or continue holding out for transparency? And more importantly, what do you think Liam’s really doing with that money? The internet seems convinced there’s more to this story than meets the eye.

One thing’s for certain: Sarah’s mom raised her right. In a world where people are quick to hand over money without questions, sometimes it takes one person asking “Where’s the receipt?” to expose the whole house of cards.