Woman's surprising move after finding $49,000 in secondhand couch

A woman who scored a set of three secondhand couches for free online was stunned to discover an even better deal inside one of the cushions.

Vicky Umodu, from California, found the couches on Craigslist while she was looking for items for her new home.

She told ABC7 she initially thought the free items were a gimmick, however, she called the people who listed them and confirmed there was no cost.

Ms Umodu said she was excited because she didn't have anything for her new home at that stage.

Vicky Umodu looking at the couch cushion.
Vicky Umodu noticed a lump on one of the couch cushions she got for free through Craigslist. Source: ABC7

But when she got home, she noticed one of the cushions had a lump.

Believing it might be a heating pad, she opened it up and discovered several envelops filled with A$49,000 in cash.

"I was just telling my son, come, come, come! I was screaming, this is money! I need to call the guy," she told ABC7.

Instead of keeping it for herself, Ms Umodu contacted the family who gave her the couches and returned the money.

It turns out the family who gave her the couches had recently lost a loved one and were cleaning out his home.

The envelops of cash the mum discovered.
The mum discovered $49,000 inside the envelops hidden in the couch cushion. Source: ABC7

The family told Ms Umodu they had found other loads of cash hidden throughout their home, amounting to a few hundred dollars.

As a way of saying thanks, they purchased Ms Umodu a new fridge and gave her $A3000, which she was not expecting.

She told ABC7 she never thought about keeping the money for herself and that she was content with what she had.

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