Salzburg bank mistakenly gives student €120,000 instead of €12,900

In the Austrian city of Salzburg, a savings bank employee mistakenly handed a 25-year-old student from Georgia €120,000 (about CZK 2.9 million) instead of the €12,900 (roughly CZK 314,000) he had asked for. The student returned the money, and the bank thanked him and his friend with a bag of gummy bears, broadcaster ORF reports.

The incident took place in September. Grigol Bolkvadze came to the branch to withdraw cash: he says he needed the large sum to prove to the Austrian authorities that he could support himself financially during his studies and obtain a residence permit. The teller apparently made a mistake and paid out almost ten times as much.

“It was packed up, I didn’t count it”

The student says he noticed nothing. “It was packed up, I didn’t count it,” he told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper. He gave the money to a friend, also Georgian, who had come with him, and went to the gym himself. When he came out of the shower, the bank called him.

“Did you withdraw money from us?” asked a bewildered voice. “Yes.” “And was it €12,900?” “Yes.” “But it was actually €120,000,” the employee said. Bolkvadze and his friend went back to the branch in the Gnigl district and handed over the extra money.

The savings bank confirmed that due to human error a customer at one of its branches had been given more than requested, apologized for the inconvenience and thanked both men for their cooperation and exemplary conduct. The gift was a small bag of gummy bears.

Social media is divided

The story sparked heated discussion on social media. Many were surprised that the customer did not notice right away: he had been handed almost ten times more. “When I withdraw cash at the counter, I always count it,” one user wrote.

Others noted that had the student kept the money, he would have committed a crime – misappropriating property handed over by mistake – and faced two years in prison and subsequent expulsion from Austria. “Their reward was that they didn’t go to prison,” one commenter quipped, hinting at the bank’s stinginess. “Honest people don’t need a reward,” another replied.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz