• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man went on a four-month bender discovering ATM glitch that gave him millions in cash

Home> Community> Life

Published 12:56 28 Mar 2024 GMT

Man went on a four-month bender discovering ATM glitch that gave him millions in cash

He managed to cheat the system which saw him pocket $1 million AUD

Niamh Spence

Niamh Spence

Finding an ATM that will give you millions and not cost you a penny sounds like the ultimate dream right?

And for many of us, we wouldn't hesitate to spend the free cash on shopping, holidays and nights out - which is just what lucky Australian Dan Saunders did. Saunders, whose incredible story is now being made into a film, splashed out on private jets and high-end restaurants after uncovering a hack that gave him access to the seemingly unlimited cash.

Over four months Aussie Dan Saunders withdrew over $1 million AUD.
Dan Saunders/ A Current Affair

In 2011 Saunders checked his bank balance during a night out, and noticed the machine he was trying to use was acting strangely and wouldn't show his balance.

Advert

Saunders later told Vice: "I transferred $200 (£117) from my credit account to my savings, and it said ‘transaction cancelled’ and spat the card out. I thought that was super odd, so I decided to try and get $200 out of my savings account just to see what would happen."

After receiving the $200, the weird glitch in the machine had Saunders thinking and he returned at a later date to see if it was working.

He added: "I'd been thinking about how odd the whole thing was, so I put the card in again and started playing around. I transferred another $200 (£117) and got the money out. Then $500 (£293), then $600 (£351), just to see what would happen."

In a very rare occurrence, Saunders had discovered a glitch as he worked out that the ATM disconnected from the bank and the internet between 1am and 3am. He quickly took advantage of the hack, withdrawing hundreds and then thousands.

Advert

Saunders first noticed the glitch trying to withdraw $200 AUD.
Pixabay

"On the first day, I spent $2,000 (£1,170), but on the second day, I transferred $4,000 (£2,341) to make sure my balance didn't stay negative,” he said. “The transfer at night would go through, then reverse one day later. But if you stayed ahead of that reversal by doing another one, you could trick the system into thinking you had millions."

For four months Saunders was able to enjoy the high life, splurging on partying, travel and even using the funds to help pals pay off their student loans. The sneaky millionaire was also able to help homeless people spend nights off the street by paying for hotels for them for a night.

Saunders explained: "If you have imagination and money, you're able to help people live their wildest dreams."

Advert

For the poor Aussie though, the dream did eventually come crashing down.

Saunders eventually turned himself into the police, receiving a 12 month jail sentence.
Dan Saunders/ A Current Affair

After seeing a psychiatrist for anxiety and guilt as he worried about being caught, Saunders accepted he had to turn himself in to the police – but not before sharing his incredible story on national television.

Saunders was ultimately sentenced to 12 months in jail on theft and fraud charges in 2015, and was released with an 18-month community corrections order.

Advert

Doing the right thing and turning himself in appears to have paid off for the Aussie, who initially returned to his job as a barman.

The story is promised to be turned into a film called ATM Boy, and Saunders has also detailed the rare crime in a podcast series titled 'The Glitch'.

Featured Image Credit: Current Affair

Topics: Australia, Money, Weird

Niamh Spence
Niamh Spence

I am a freelance journalist, who writes and contributes to lifestyle and online titles. Previous work includes; The Telegraph, LadBible, Entertainment Daily, BBC, The Mirror, The Metro, Tyla.etc

X

@missnspence

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
6 hours ago
2 days ago
3 days ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Mom, 33, issues warning after noticing ‘mosquito bite’ that turned out to be much more sinister

    It's that time of year when mosquitoes are rife, and many of us also spend more time in the sun, so one mom is trying to raise awareness

    Community
  • 6 hours ago

    Chilling past of man who won $167,300,000 lottery jackpot as he's arrested days after claiming prize

    James Shannon Farthing won a life-changing amount of money in April this year

    Community
  • 2 days ago

    7-Eleven employee, 24, who was left brain-dead after manager ‘sat on her’ has died

    Jessica McLaughlin died as her life support was switched off on Wednesday

    Community
  • 3 days ago

    YouTuber legally dies in order to get $50 refund from airline and explains how he did it

    He went through all the stress of 'dying' for the sake of getting back just 50 bucks

    Community
  • Man who discovered ATM ‘loophole’ that gave him millions in cash for four months reveals why he handed himself in
  • Mega Millions player wins $1,200,000,000 jackpot breaking a three-month no winning streak
  • Jake Paul makes massive bet on his fight with Mike Tyson that could cost him millions
  • Man who lived on protein bars for a week reveals the effects it had on his body that ‘freaked’ him out