Worker Paid 330 Times His Salary by Mistake and Resigns, Keeps the Money

In a stunning payroll mishap in Santiago, Chile, an employee at Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos (CIAL), a prominent Latin American processed foods company, was accidentally paid 330 times his normal salary. Instead of his expected 500,000 Chilean pesos (around €522), the worker’s account was credited with an astonishing 165 million pesos — approximately $180,000 or €172,000.

Initially, the worker notified the company of the mistake and promised to return the money. However, after reconsidering, he vanished for three days without showing up at work. When he finally reappeared, the employee resigned through his lawyer, effectively keeping the enormous payment and ending his employment.

CIAL promptly filed criminal charges, accusing the worker of theft. Yet over a protracted legal process that lasted three years, his defense successfully argued that no criminal intent existed. The worker had simply received the deposits as they were sent — without any involvement in or manipulation of the company’s payroll system.

In September 2025, a Santiago court dismissed the theft charges, ruling that the payment constituted “unauthorised appropriation,” an offence that carries no legal penalty under Chilean law. The court emphasized that the error was solely the company’s fault and that the employee had not acted with fraudulent intent.

A theft conviction would have resulted in up to 540 days in prison, a criminal record, and restitution of the funds. Instead, the worker walked away with the entire sum.

Though criminal charges were cleared, CIAL announced plans to pursue civil litigation to reclaim the money via an appeal for annulment of the ruling. Legal experts advise that employees who receive overpayments should notify their employers promptly in writing to avoid complications. Under certain jurisdictions, including Spain, delays of over a year may relieve workers of the obligation to repay excess funds.

For now, the former CIAL employee enjoys an extraordinary windfall that drastically altered his financial future — all due to an unprecedented payroll error.