A Sarawak clinic manager was stunned to discover a 10-digit balance in his bank account, only to learn that the apparent RM1 billion fortune was the result of a technical glitch.
Wan Muhammad Fairus, 33, said his account should have contained less than RM1,000 when he opened his banking app to make a transaction.
According to Berita Harian, the father of four from Samariang, Kuching, was in his bedroom when he noticed the extraordinary balance.
‘I was in my bedroom at the time, about to make a transaction. If I’m not mistaken, I had less than RM1,000 in my account. When I opened the app and tapped the icon to reveal my balance, I was shocked to see such an enormous amount of money,’ he said.
‘I was completely stunned! My hands were shaking as I held my phone. I tried logging out and logging back in, but the money was still there.’
ChatGPT helps identify the amount
Wan Muhammad Fairus said he checked his bank statement and asked ChatGPT to determine the value of the figure displayed in his account.
It was then that he realised the balance amounted to RM1 billion.
‘It was only after checking my bank statement and asking ChatGPT how much the figure amounted to that I realised it was RM1 billion,’ he said with a laugh when contacted by the newspaper.
The unusual discovery attracted attention on social media after he shared a screenshot of his online banking app showing the 10-digit balance.
However, he suspected something was wrong and contacted the bank, knowing the money did not belong to him.
Bank reverses transaction after technical glitch
Wan Muhammad Fairus said the bank informed him that a technical problem had occurred and temporarily froze his account until 4pm the previous day.
‘After I contacted the bank, they informed me that there had been a technical problem and temporarily froze my account until 4pm yesterday,’ he said.
He added that the matter was resolved after the bank reversed the transaction, while the money originally in his account remained unaffected.
He also said he had never considered using the money, as he knew spending funds mistakenly credited to his account could lead to legal trouble.
Although the unexpected billionaire status was short-lived, Wan Muhammad Fairus said the bank had mentioned the possibility of giving him a reward.
However, he had yet to receive anything or learn what the reward might be.
‘The bank also mentioned that they wanted to give me a reward, but I haven’t received anything yet and don’t know what it will be. Perhaps I’ll have to wait for an email notification or an announcement from them,’ he said.
His account has since returned to normal, leaving him with an extraordinary story about a billion-ringgit balance that was never his.
