New Zealand Overnight Multi-Millionaire Couple on the Run

You get upset with the unending list of bank charges that show their ugly faces time and again on your bank statements. But, when the bank decides to add a few extra zeros to your account what would you do, but snaffle up the cash and run?

That’s what New Zealand gas station owners did. The applied to Westpac Bank for NZ$100,000 overdraft, but instead received 1,000 times more, thrusting the account balance to 10 million.

Westpac clearly states it sees the money as being ‘stolen’, but has admitted it was human error that created the unsuspecting couple into overnight accidental multi-millionaires.

The couple quickly disappeared after transferring some of the money. Westpac grabbed back what was left behind in the bank account and were able to recover around $2.8 million. Westpac Bank said it is "Pursuing vigorous criminal and civil action to try to recover the sum of money stolen", but rejected making any further comment.

An international search for the couple was launched by the police, according to Detective Senior Sgt. David Harvey. He said Interpol were asked for assistance as the couple headed for Hong Kong.

"It is generally considered a criminal offense for people to spend money accidentally deposited into a bank account if they are aware that the cash is not theirs", said Liz Brown, banking Ombudsman. In her 15 years as ombudsman, Brown says she has only seen 10 – 20 similar cases.

However, it is possible someone hacked into the account and transferred funds to a Swiss bank account. After all the bank can go into your account and ‘steal’ the money in the name of fees any time it feels like it. Manipulation of bank accounts, creating false overdrafts, in order to ‘steal’ customer cash through intimidating bank fees, is certainly a common practice.

Why can’t you turn things around if the bank deposits the wrong amount? After all, how many times have you had the bank deduct something twice, or thrust your account into overdraft, then fight you fiercely about correcting the problem. Or you put money into your account, so it won’t roll into overdraft, yet still you are hit with overdraft fees, because the bank claims the amounts didn’t cross over.

"This is not the first time I had a mistake in my favour. Approximately 5 years ago a bank deposited my cheque twice. I let the money remain there for 3 months before spending it", reports one customer. At the end of the three months the money is legally yours. However, the bank can also legally take three months to counteract a problem.

Even though the bank attempts to legally charge customers who spend money the bank claims is not theirs, when it has been put in the account wrongly, it is widely known that the ‘Bank’ is the world’s largest legal thief. And gets away with it! No wonder, most of us had a secret desire to "Kill the bank manager"!