Where man who was arrested for stealing $1.6 million in ATM glitch is now 15 years later
Back in 2011, Dan Saunders was working as a bartender in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia, and needed to grab some cash.
The then 29-year-old headed to an ATM but realised he had just $3 (£1.57) in his account but decided to try and withdraw $100 (£52) anyway. And despite an error message, the money appeared.
Essentially, the Aussie found a glitch with National Australia Bank (NAB) ATMs where he could withdraw limitless cash. And over four-and-a-half months, Saunders ended up taking out $1.6 million (£837,304).
He was able to make his account balance ‘look like it had millions of dollars’ in it when the money didn’t exist.
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After eventually outing himself, Saunders was arrested which he says was worth it to give himself ‘closure’ and now lives a normal life.
Well known as the ‘ATM boy’ (with a film made about him), he had contacted NAB to admit what he’d been doing and spoke publicly on A Current Affair.
He told one media outlet at the time that he felt like a ‘white Kanye West’ while spending the money.
And now, 15 years on, Saunders has appeared on SBS Insight, ‘Coming into Money’ where he spoke about the scandal.
“I could go into the branch and literally ask the teller how much is in my account, and they’d tell me there was $1.6 million in there and just let me draw on whatever I wanted,” he explained in last night’s (23 June) episode.
“It was like discovering fire or something for the first time if you’re a caveman.”
Saunders said spending the money became ‘extremely addictive’ as he would do thinks like buy dinner for a whole restaurant of diners.
But while it gave him a self-confidence, the ability to spend limitlessly came with some anxiety.
“I thought I was going to get caught at any time,” he explained. “I’d have nightmares about the SWAT team storming in. I don’t know why it was a SWAT team. I didn’t have any guns.”
The guilt got too much and he told the bank, but ‘nothing happened for about three years’.
“The anxiety built and built, and I eventually had to do what I felt was right, so I told the media about what happened just to get some closure on the whole thing,” he continued.
And eventually police charged him with over 100 offences relating to fraud and theft.
He was jailed for 12 months, ordered to serve 18 months of community service and faced a fine of $250,000 (£130,829).
Now it’s all over, Saunders has no desire to return to his former rich boy lifestyle and is back working as a bartender.
“Sure, sometimes life can seem a bit mundane and boring after what I experienced, but that’s OK. Not everything in life needs to be totally exhilarating, and there’s a lot of joy to be found in normal, ordinary life,” he said.
“So, I’m back behind the bar, just as poor as when I started, and I couldn’t care less. The future looks bright because it’s all mine.”
Topics: True Crime, Australia, Money
Jess Battison