In Chile, a surprise payday became a legal drama. An employee of Cial, a significant meat producer, was expected to receive his regular salary of 500,000 Chilean pesos (about $545). But, he instead received 165,398,851 Chilean pesos (about $180,300), Which was nearly 330 times his pay.
And all of this, just because of an accounting error.
He informed his manager of the error and agreed to visit the bank the following day to return the excess funds, according to Diario Financiero. However, he did not go, stopped going to work, and quickly filed his resignation through a law firm. Cial then accused him of misappropriation and brought the case before the Chilean legal system. “He was informed and clarified that this money did not correspond to the payment of any service,” according to the filing.
What should you do if money accidentally ends up in your account? What’s reasonable? What can a business (or a court) do next? And is because it rises this type of questions that this case became viral, and also, because he’s now missing.
What did it happened?
A huge accounting error was made by Cial’s payroll department and the employee received a deposit that was 330 times higher than their regular salary. He told his deputy manager immediately, and management requested that he return the money. He promised to fix it when he went to the Bank the following day.
The next day, the employee claimed to have overslept, but he didn’t go to the bank or show up for work the following morning. Then company received a letter from a law firm stating that the employee was resigning on June 2nd. And they haven’t been able to get in touch with him since.
Cial complained to the Chilean legal system about a crime of misappropriation. The employee had been informed that the money was not a compensation for any services, they stated in their filing: “He was informed and clarified that this money did not correspond to the payment of any service.”
Why is this important? because it demonstrates how quickly an easy an accounting error can escalate into a court case. It also shows why businesses depend on accurate payroll checks and why people should respond right away and keep complete records whenever something similar happens.
What can we learn from this story?
- Inform your bank and employer right away if money that isn’t yours appears in your account. Get written instructions and be polite but explicit. Keep documentation (emails, screenshots, bank receipts). Quick action demonstrates good faith, which is important in Chile’s legal system (or any court).
- Don’t touch the money! It can be tracked down even if it appears to be a miraculous deposit. Spending it could make things worse for you and could even be interpreted as a misappropriation crime.
- Show up at work (or communicate on time). After a situation like this, disappearing may look like a job abandonment or labor flight. That could harm both your reputation and your case.
- This one is for companies: secure the process. Errors should be found before they have an impact on accounts with bank confirmations, automatic alerts for unusual salary amounts, and double approvals for major payroll changes.
Simple rules to avoid big problems
Strong payroll controls can help companies like Cial avoid very expensive accounting errors and lower the possibility of employees escaping, confusion, or panic.
It’s actually a dramatic story, a worker in Chile receives 330× his salary, quits, and is accused of misappropriation. However, the lesson is clear to, if somehow an unexpected deposit arrives, report it, work with your bank, and properly return it. Keep documentation for everything.