English teacher Michael McCaffrey may have thought he had become an instant millionaire when HK$942,482 was unexpectedly deposited into his bank account.
But Mr McCaffrey, an Australian who moved to Hong Kong 10 years ago, is not planning any grand holidays just yet: his new-found wealth appears to have been caused by a computer glitch on Friday night at an HSBC ATM on Electric Road, near his home in North Point.
'Some friends have suggested I take the money and run but I'm positive they [HSBC] will fix the error soon,' he said yesterday.
Mr McCaffrey discovered the error after depositing a cheque from his employer for HK$4,200 and paying his rent at the ATM. However, his receipt for the deposit showed that HK$942,482 had been paid into his account.
Mr McCaffrey said his account still showed the extra cash yesterday, but he had yet to contact the bank.
'Those machines are pretty convenient and you definitely take them for granted. This has made me think that they should be a little more careful. Perhaps there should be added safeguards because what would happen if you actually lost money from your account.'
