A Brazilian businessman, Guilherme Moreira, received an unexpected windfall of R$18,666,000 (£2,613,000) in his bank account due to a system glitch at Banco Safra. While some customers returned the funds promptly, Mr. Moreira took a different approach. He engaged with the bank and transferred portions of the money to his father, company account, and a supplier, as well as purchased a new Porsche.
The bank tried to reclaim the funds and filed a police report against Mr. Moreira, resulting in the confiscation of the luxury car. Allegations were made that Mr. Moreira exploited the situation by making transfers. However, his lawyer argued that he notified the bank immediately and attempted to negotiate the return of the money.
Facing the bank’s refusal to cooperate, Mr. Moreira initiated legal action against them for damages. Brazilian law does not support the notion of ‘finders keepers,’ and misusing mistakenly transferred money is considered a criminal offense.
Despite the incident occurring in 2019, in 2023, the court ruled in favor of Mr. Moreira, ordering the bank to return the Porsche. His defense confirmed that most of the money has been returned. Mr. Moreira’s lawyer emphasized that no civil crime was committed and attributed the entire situation to the bank’s error.