A factory worker in Khanty-Mansi, Russia, was stunned when a software glitch accidentally transferred the entire factory’s payroll into his bank account — totaling 7 million rubles (around $87,000).
The twist came when he refused to return the money.
According to international media reports, earlier this year, Vladimir Richagov was shocked to see a message from his banking app showing an unusually large deposit. He had expected his regular vacation pay of about 46,000 rubles ($581) but instead found a massive bonus of 7 million rubles in his account.
Richagov had heard rumors that the factory planned to give employees bonuses after a profitable financial year, but such a large amount was beyond his imagination.
However, his joy was short-lived. The factory’s accounting department soon contacted him, explaining that the funds had been transferred by mistake and must be returned.
Richagov said he researched the issue online and found that if a transfer occurred due to a technical glitch, repayment depended on the recipient’s discretion. However, if it was a billing error, the recipient was legally obligated to return the funds. On that basis, he decided not to return the money, arguing it was the company’s fault.
The case later went to court. Company records showed that salaries for 34 employees had been mistakenly transferred to Richagov’s account due to a technical malfunction during branch-level processing, and therefore he was legally bound to return the money.
Meanwhile, Richagov claimed the company’s repeated repayment requests had turned into threats, prompting him to buy a new car and house with the money and move to another city. However, just as he was preparing to relocate, the company filed a lawsuit, and his bank accounts were frozen.
The factory accused him of colluding with an accountant to commit fraud, but the court dismissed the allegation due to lack of evidence. Still, the court ordered Richagov to repay the $87,000 to the company. Richagov has since appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court, delaying the payment.
