Family go on spending spree after they're given $10.4 million instead of $100 refund

An Australian woman and her family went on a massive spending spree after accidentally being given $10.4 million (£6.1m) instead of a $100 (£60) refund.

Thevamanogari Manivel and her sister are now facing legal action, and have been ordered to pay a significant sum of the money back – with interest.

The Melbourne resident was originally set to receive the $100 return from cryptocurrency exchange platform Crypto.com in May last year.

However, in what is truly a juggernaut of a mistake, the platform – which features Matt Damon in its advertising – accidentally shelled out well over $10m.

Formatoriginal/Alamy Stock Photo

Now, there's two types of people in this world – those who would let the company know about the mistake and those who would keep quiet and splash out.

Manivel went for the latter option, but she didn't keep the money all to herself. Instead she handed it out to a number of friends and family members, including her daughter and her sister, Thilagavathy Gangadory.

She even splashed out on a $1.35 million (£800k) mansion for Gangadory, featuring four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a home gym and cinema.

They were able to live the life of Riley for seven months until a routine audit in December when Crypto.com realised what had happened.

In February of this year, the company began legal proceedings, which included freezing Manivel’s accounts – but by this point it was too late.

Barry Plant/Gladstone Park

She had already transferred most of the money to a different joint account, and another significant sum was handed to her daughter.

Freezing orders were then carried out on Gangadory after it was revealed that she had become the registered owner of the flashy Craigieburn property.

While the case has been ongoing, according to Daily Mail Australia, the Victorian Supreme Court ruled in favour of Crypto.com last Friday (August 26) by default after Gangadory and her legal team failed to show up.

Justice James Dudley Elliott ordered Manivel's sister to pay back the full cost of the house, plus interest, to the tune of $1.35 million plus $27,369 (£16,130).

The judge said: "It is established that the Craigieburn property was acquired with funds traceable to the wrongful payment and would never have been in Gangadory’s hands if the wrongful payment had not been made.

"Thus, Gangadory was unjustly enriched by receiving the purchase price of the Craigieburn property out of the wrongful payment."

Barry Plant/Gladstone Park

He added: "Accordingly, I was satisfied that the orders relating to the sale of the Craigieburn property were appropriate."

As for the rest of the missing cash, separate cases have been made against other defendants involved.

Since these are ongoing, Crypto.com's legal team Cornwalls Law told Daily Mail Australia that they were unable to comment right now.

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