The Real-Life Story of a Bartender, an ATM Glitch, and $1.6 Million He Never Should Have Had
You know that split-second feeling when you’re taking out cash at an ATM and you think, “what if it just didn’t stop?”
If that quick little “ftt, ftt, ftt” sound of the machine dispensing money kept going, despite your bank account’s balance.
In 2011, an Australian bartender hit the jackpot.
Sort of.
At 29 years old, Dan Saunders discovered an ATM glitch enabling him to withdraw cash far beyond his account balance.
After finishing a shift, with only $3 in his bank account, Dan discovered he could transfer money from a practically empty account into his debit account and then withdraw cash—because the machine wasn’t talking to the bank in real time. When the network synced the next day, those after-hours transfers stuck like they were legit, and his balance ballooned. No malware. No card skimmers. Just a timing bug and a very curious night owl.
He didn’t pull one fast score and vanish. He kept testing the edges. Transfer. Withdraw. Repeat.
The numbers on the screen looked like a video game where you find the secret combo and suddenly have unlimited lives.
Over seven months, he cycled through about $1.6 million AUD thanks to the glitch, according to multiple interviews he’s given since.
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