Advertisement

Woman accidentally given $4.6M by bank, spends most of it on ‘luxury’ items

Click to play video: 'Woman accidentally given $4.6m by bank, spends most of it on ‘luxury’ items'
Woman accidentally given $4.6m by bank, spends most of it on ‘luxury’ items
WATCH: Police say Christine Lee spent $3.3 million on designer goods – May 5, 2016

A 21-year-old Malaysian student who became a multimillionaire by accident when a bank mistakenly transferred $4.6 million to her account, is facing charges after blowing most of the money on luxury goods.

A “glitch” in Westpac’s system, a bank in Australia, reportedly sent the money transfer four years ago.

READ MORE: Suspected ATM thieves uncovered in Calgary drug trafficking investigation

Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.

Get weekly money news

Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Police say Christine Lee, an engineering student at the University of Sydney, spent $3.3 million on designer goods such as luxury handbags. Police say she also transferred cash to other accounts. So far, $1.3 million of the money has been reportedly recovered.

Lee was arrested this week at the Sydney Airport in Australia when she was catching a flight to Malaysia. Police fraud experts launched their investigation in 2012, but a warrant for her arrest was only issued in March this year.

Story continues below advertisement

READ MORE: Calgary woman who ingested 82 cocaine pellets stopped at Edmonton International Airport

It wasn’t until Lee tried to leave the country that they were able to find her.

She is charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Sponsored content

AdChoices