A man in Santiago, Chile, received an unusually high payment of 330 times his regular salary due to a payroll mistake. The employee, working for Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos (CIAL), a company specializing in processed foods in Latin America, found out he received 165,398,851 Chilean pesos instead of the expected 500,000 pesos in May 2022.

Initially, the man notified the company about the error and expressed his intention to return the excess amount. However, he later disappeared for three days and eventually resigned with the help of his lawyer, retaining the money.

The company pursued legal action, alleging theft, but the employee’s legal team argued that the deposit was a mistake with no fraudulent intent on his part. After a three-year legal battle, the court ruled in favor of the employee in September 2025, stating that it was not theft but ‘unauthorized appropriation,’ which is not punishable under Chilean law.

Although the employee avoided criminal charges and was allowed to keep the money, the company is considering civil action to recover the funds. Experts recommend prompt and transparent action from employees who receive overpayments to avoid legal complications.

The former employee of CIAL now has the opportunity to enjoy the unexpected windfall that came his way.