Bank Says Florida Woman Who Thought She Had A Billion Dollars Actually Had A Negative Balance

According to Chase Bank, the Florida woman who thought she had nearly a billion dollars in her account on Saturday actually had a negative balance instead.

Last Saturday, Julia Yonkowski went to her local Chase Bank in Largo, Florida to withdraw $20.

She received a message stating that it’ll cause an overdraft and she would be charged. After receiving the message, Yonkowski decided to check her balance and, according to the receipt she received, had $999,985,855.94 in the bank.

“I know most people would’ve thought they won the lottery, but I was horrified because it wasn’t my money,” Julia Yonkowskisaid.

A Chase representative spoke with 8 On Your Side Tuesday morning and explained it was actually a fraud prevention method used to freeze an account. That’s what Yonkowski wasn’t able to make a withdrawal from the account.

It turns out Yonkowski had a joint bank account with her late husband, who was still on the account. When she went to use it, it was flagged for possible fraud. Chase says that proper documentation is required in this situation to avoid a freeze on a joint account. 

Although not a multi-millionaire, Yonkowski told the outlet she hopes other people can use this as a lesson.