When Faye Pattison, a penniless 21-year-old student, checked her bank account recently, she was surprised to find a very healthy balance…

I: Was finding all that cash a shock?

You bet. I’m a typical student, struggling on a part-time job at Woolworth’s. It was two weeks before my next statement was due to be sent out from the bank. I was checking my balance at the cash point machine, just in case my wages had already been paid in.  Then up came all these zeros. My first reaction was panic – I thought it was an overdraft – although I soon realized my account was actually in credit by a massive amount.

I: How much was in there?

The balance the first time was 34,000 pounds.  As I stood there, visions of touring Australia flashed through my mind.  But I knew it wasn’t mine, so I went into the bank and told them they made a mistake.

I: Were they pleased at your honesty?

I thought they would be, but they just sat me in a corner and ignored me for half an hour. They took it back in the end, explaining it was from another bank. One number was keyed incorrectly, so the money ended up in my account.

I: Was that the end of the story?

Two weeks later, I again checked my balance to be sure they’d sorted it out. Up popped 500,000 pounds.  I felt like a lottery winner, though without the ticket.  When I told the bank this time, they said that because their computers were down I would have to leave it with them. I did, but within the week, the sum had doubled!

I: How much was in there?

Over a million! I was falling about laughing at the cash point; the people behind me must have thought I was on drugs or something. It was brilliant looking down at those figures and imagining it was really mine.

I: Hadn’t the bank noticed by this time?

Apparently not. Since my boyfriend John worked for another bank, he knows how banks operate.  He couldn’t believe what had happened.  After a few weeks, my friends started saying I should move the money abroad and take off!  Even my dad, who’s a retired policeman, said I should start withdrawing 300 pounds a day – that’s the interest, so I wouldn’t have been touching the capital.

I: Were you surprised that they did nothing?

I was, and annoyed as well. I gave up on my local branch, and contacted the head office in order to sort it out once and for all. But in spite of phoning them numerous times, it still took a while before anyone would deal with the matter.  And even then, their attitude was amazing. They seemed very ungrateful considering all the hassle they caused me.

I: Was that the end of the story?

Not quite. The day after the 1 million pounds was finally removed from my account, 300 pounds appeared.  It was part of the interest earned.  I know 300 pounds isn’t a fortune to some people but for me it was a lot.  I did tell the bank about it but eventually they said I could keep it. I’m spending it on a trip to Turkey.