Bank clerk accidentally transferred $234,021,110 after falling asleep with finger on the keyboard
Topics: Germany, Money, Social Media, Technology, World News
Luke Jackson
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Germany, Money, Social Media, Technology, World News
A German bank clerk nearly made a very costly mistake when he found himself dozing off on the job.
The clerk had fallen asleep at his desk, as he was carrying out his daily duties transferring funds for people.
However,, it was not as simple as having a midday nap at your desk, as this bank clerk quickly found out.
The worker was in the middle of making a transaction of 64.20 euros when he drifted off, but the main issue was that he fell asleep with his finger still firmly pressed onto the number two key of his keyboard.
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As a result, the bank clerk accidentally put a very large sum of money into the system, which was then promptly sent onto his supervisor.
The supervisor in question, who had worked within the bank since 1986, said that she had not noticed the large sum of money as she was approving the transactions for the day, altogether checking 812 documents for mistakes.
This mishap led to the bank firing her, as they claimed that she was not completing her duties of verifying transactions before they were sent.
Luckily for both the clerk and Supervisor however, the transaction, which equalled a whopping $234,164,444.44 (222,222,222.22 euros), was later spotted by a third employee, who raised the error and corrected it before it had been sent.
Following the incident, a court ruled that there was no malicious intent in the supervisor's actions and that the supervisor had been unfairly dismissed. The court ordered the bank to reinstate her, saying the work contract should not have been terminated.
Many users took to social media to share their thoughts, but mostly jokes surrounding the mistake.
One member of the public joked: "Imagine seeing your bank balance up 200+ million."
And another commented: "Plot twist, the bank clerk was a cat that sat on the keyboard."
Some also expressed upset surrounding the bank's response, claiming: "Firing someone over a mistake is always stupid."
As humorous and potentially enjoyable as this would be for the one receiving this money, this is not the first time bank errors like this occur.
Another example of this was Sibongile Mani, a student of Walter Sisulu University in South Africa, who found that almost $1 million had been incorrectly transferred into her bank account.
This, however, was short-lived, as she immediately went spending the money on expensive liquor, a new phone, and designer clothes, before being reported to police and arrested in 2017, charged with fraud and theft.
So heed this warning: if you ever come across funds in your bank that you don't recognise, tell your bank, and as tempting as it may be, do not spend it.