Imagine waking up to find almost $1 million in your bank account. That’s exactly what happened to South African student Sibongile Mani.

Normally, Mani received about $100 a month for food. But in 2017, she suddenly found nearly $760,000 mistakenly deposited into her account. Instead of reporting it, she decided to spend freely. “I thought it was a miracle,” she later explained.

In the weeks that followed, Mani splurged on designer clothes, a new iPhone, liquor, and parties. Friends noticed her unusual spending, and a supermarket receipt revealed she had millions left in her account. “She was just suddenly spending so much,” one student leader recalled.

Police arrested Mani and charged her with theft and fraud. In 2022, she was sentenced to five years in prison. However, judges later suspended her sentence, requiring community service and counseling instead. She was not ordered to repay the money. Her lawyer said, “She is very grateful for a second chance.”

The story leaves one big question: What would you do if nearly $1 million appeared in your account?