After a bank error in his favor netted him $31,000, a Georgia teen is being asked to return the cash.

The problem is, he’s probably already spent most of it.


On March 7, a customer named Steven Fields deposited $31,000 and a teller at First Citizens Bank in Hull accidentally put it into an account belonging to an 18-year-old who has the same name.

When the teen received the accidental deposit, he withdrew $20,000 and made $5,000 in purchases with his ATM card, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

It wasn’t until March 17 when the original Steven Fields complained about his missing money that the bank realized the error.

When the teen went to take out money the next day, a teller asked him to return the cash. He then said the “money was from an inheritance” and later told a deputy that “he thought the money came from his grandmother’s estate.”

The bank gave Fields a deadline of March 19 to return the money before they would ask that he be prosecuted.

"I informed Mr. Fields that the bank wanted the money back as soon as possible," according an officer's statement. "Mr. Fields stated that he would go to the bank and talk with Mrs. Bryant and try to settle this situation without going to jail."

As of Thursday, no charges had been filed, ABC News reported.

[ABC News] [Athens Banner-Herald]