A worker in Santiago, Chile, received a payment 330 times his salary due to a payroll mistake and was permitted to retain the money following a legal battle. The incident involved an employee of Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos (CIAL), a company specializing in processed foods in Latin America, who unexpectedly received 330 times his salary in his bank account instead of the expected amount in May 2022. The sum totaled around $180,000 or €172,000, significantly more than the anticipated 500,000 pesos.
Initially, the employee reported the error to the company and expressed intent to return the excess amount. However, after being unreachable for three days and failing to show up for work, he resigned with the assistance of his attorney, keeping the money in the process. 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 the employee’s part.
In September 2025, the court ruled in favor of the worker, stating that the act was not theft but ‘unauthorized appropriation,’ a non-punishable offense in Chile. The court emphasized that the employee did not manipulate the payment system and had no intention of keeping the money unlawfully. Consequently, the employee was allowed to keep the funds, avoiding potential criminal charges and the obligation to return the money.
Although the company may seek civil action to reclaim the funds, experts recommend that in cases of overpayment, employees should promptly inform payroll or human resources in writing to avoid legal complications. As of now, the former employee is entitled to enjoy the unexpected windfall that altered his life.
