The ATM Glitch That Made Dan Saunders a Millionaire Overnight

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Nik Young · Follow

8 min read · Oct 2

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Dan Saunders was an ordinary Australian bartender with $3 in his bank account and a nearly-maxed-out credit card when one night in 2011 his luck changed. During a night out at the bar with a friend, he went to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM only to discover a glitch in the system that allowed him to withdraw more money than what was in his account. He had uncovered a loophole, giving him access to a never-ending supply of cash. Over the next four months, Dan enjoyed a life of luxury. He bought the nicest suits, enjoyed penthouse parties and flew on private jets. But, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is — and with time, his ATM scheme would unravel.

A Lucky Night Out

Working as a bartender at a local pub in Wangaratta, Australia, 29-year-old Dan Saunders was like any other young man his age. He had recently moved to the area to support his fiance’s career and they were saving up to buy a home together. Unfortunately, Dan wasn’t the greatest at saving money. So, when his friend Mark asked him to go out for some drinks after work one night in 2011, he was reluctant, as he only had $3 in his bank account — but he agreed.

Dan and Mark decided that Mark would buy the drinks the first half of the night and then Mark would cover the second half. By the time it was Mark’s turn, he was fairly tipsy. He didn’t have any cash on hand so he had to walk over to a nearby ATM operated by the National Australia Bank, or NAB. He knew he only had a few bucks in his account but he wasn’t able to check because the machine kept returning an error message that said, “balance unavailable at this time.” Dan tried transferring $200 from his credit card, which was nearly maxed out at $2000, to his savings account and he received another error that said, “transaction cancelled”. This time the machine spat his bank card out.

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Member-only story. Nik Young · Follow. 8 min read · Oct 2. -- 1. Share. Dan Saunders was an ordinary Australian bartender with $3 in his bank account and a nearly-maxed-out credit card when one night in 2011 his luck changed. During a night out at the bar with a friend, he went to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM only to discover a glitch in the system that allowed him to withdraw more money than what was in his account. He had uncovered a loophole, giving him access to a never-ending supply of cash. Over the next four months, Dan enjoyed a life of luxury. He bought the nicest suits, enjoyed penthouse parties and flew on private jets. But, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is — and with time, his ATM scheme would unravel. A Lucky Night Out. Working as a bartender at a local pub in Wangaratta, Australia, 29-year-old Dan Saunders was like any other young man his age. He had recently moved to the area to support his fiance’s career and they were saving up to buy a home together. Unfortunately, Dan wasn’t the greatest at saving money. So, when his friend Mark asked him to go out for some drinks after work one night in 2011, he was reluctant, as he only had $3 in his bank account — but he agreed. Dan and Mark decided that Mark would buy the drinks the first half of the night and then Mark would cover the second half. By the time it was Mark’s turn, he was fairly tipsy. He didn’t have any cash on hand so he had to walk over to a nearby ATM operated by the National Australia Bank, or NAB. He knew he only had a few bucks in his account but he wasn’t able to check because the machine kept returning an error message that said, “balance unavailable at this time.” Dan tried transferring $200 from his credit card, which was nearly maxed out at $2000, to his savings account and he received another error that said, “transaction cancelled”. This time the machine spat his bank card out.