Australian bartender’s $1.6m ATM fraud becomes six-part YouTube series
An Australian bartender discovered a critical flaw in National Australia Bank's ATM system in 2011 that allowed him to withdraw money he didn't have. Over four months, he spent approximately $1.6 million on luxury goods and experiences before confessing to authorities, resulting in 111 fraud and theft charges. His story has now been adapted into a six-part YouTube series called "The Glitch," offering an inside look at how the discovery unfolded and the consequences that followed.
Saunders, then 29 years old, stumbled upon the loophole while transferring $200 from his credit card to his bank account with just $3 in it; when the ATM reported the transaction had failed but the money appeared anyway, he realised he could exploit a one-hour nightly maintenance window when the system was offline. Over the subsequent months, he withdrew thousands through repeated transactions, initially from curiosity fuelled by alcohol, and later to fund private jets, luxury hotels, exclusive restaurants and gambling. The YouTube series, which draws from a popular podcast that garnered over 2.6 million downloads, features interviews with Saunders, his friends and journalist Adam Shand, who originally reported the story in 2014.
- Bartender exploited ATM glitch to withdraw $1.6 million over four months in 2011
- He spent the money on private jets, luxury hotels and gambling before confessing
- His story is now a six-part YouTube series launching on 3 October
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In 2011, an Australian bartender discovered a critical flaw in National Australia Bank's ATM system that allowed him to withdraw money his account did not contain. The discovery came about accidentally when he attempted a transaction that appeared to fail but money nonetheless appeared in his account, prompting him to investigate the system further.
Saunders found that during a nightly maintenance period when the bank's systems were offline, he could exploit the flaw to make unauthorised withdrawals. Over four months, he withdrew approximately $1.6 million and spent it on luxury goods, private jets, expensive hotels and restaurants before eventually confessing to authorities and facing 111 charges of fraud and theft.
The case raised questions about how major banking systems could have such vulnerabilities that remain undetected for months. The incident highlighted the potential consequences of security weaknesses in financial technology.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Aussie bartender who discovered an ATM glitch that gave him $1.6million in ‘free money’ reveals everything about his crazy adventure in new YouTube series”.