Can you imagine becoming a billionaire for a simple banking mistake? Although it seems science fiction, it is what has happened to a couple from Louisiana (United States). They got up on a Saturday morning like any other day and, when checking their bank account, they realized that they had entered 50,000 million dollars , about 42,134 euros to change.
The couple has been interviewed by CNN. The entry was due to an error at Chase Bank. James has joked that this is not just a zero error , but someone who has “fallen asleep on the keyboard.” When they saw that they had $ 50 billion over, they were shocked and wondered how such a large amount of money had gotten into their account.
Both have explained that no one has yet given them an explanation about what could have happened , but they know that the same thing has happened to other Chase Bank clients. They report the attention they have received from the entity since they do not know if their account has been compromised in any way and the bank has not even called them.
For its part, Chase Bank has explained that it was a technical error that affected a series of accounts . You have already restored the previous balance and have resolved the operation of all those affected.
Did the couple plan to spend the money? As they have said in the interview, no. «There is a big difference between morality and legality. Honesty and good moral character went into action immediately, we can’t do anything with money. I did not earn it, it is not ours to spend .
In 2016 something very similar happened in Australia, although with a very different result. A young Australian, also due to a bank error, received unlimited credit on his account. He did use the money on trips, cars, and drugs, among other quirks . Total spending reached AU $ 2 million. The police arrested him and he was found guilty for knowing that he was committing a crime and for having financial advantages.