Sparkasse Salzburg student returns 120,000 euro banking error

A 25-year-old Georgian student studying in Salzburg, Austria, was mistakenly paid over 120,000 euros by Sparkasse Salzburg when he intended to withdraw only 12,900 euros. The student had originally borrowed the smaller amount from a friend to demonstrate sufficient funds for an Austrian residence permit.

After withdrawing the cash and handing it to his friend, the student went to training, unaware of the error. The bank contacted him via telephone to report the mistake. Upon realizing the discrepancy, the student and his friend returned to the bank branch and returned the entire excess amount.

Sparkasse Salzburg confirmed the incident was due to human error and apologized to the student for the mistake. Despite returning the significant sum, the student received a small package of branded gummy candies as a reward instead of a monetary prize.