Brit uses bank glitch to steal £100,000; gets BMW, face tattoo and jail time

A software glitch in Clydesdale Yorkshire Bank systems enabled a hacker to transfer money to his account over a four-week period, racking up roughly £100,000 which he transferred to relatives before turning himself in.

A loophole in his bank”s system reportedly permitted unemployed James Ejankowski, 24, to systematically transfer money between his current account and his savings account for an hour between midnight and 1:00 AM.

The glitch made the transactions invisible, so the Clarence Road, Bridlington resident exploited it for weeks in December last year, funneling money through his partner”s account, while buying a Range Rover and a BMW, according to the Evening Gazette, and getting his face tattooed.

£53,399 were transferred to his partner Charlotte Slater”s Natwest account, Prosecutor Shaun Dryden told Teesside Crown Court on Monday. Ejankowski gave an additional £1,362 to his father-in-law, which was then transferred to other relatives. The money was reportedly used to pay debts.

Explaining the glitch, the prosecutor said, “For one hour there was a credit balance in his account even though he did not have any money.”

Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group have since closed the loophole.

It isn”t immediately clear if Ejankowski exploited the glitch using additional software, or just the flaw he stumbled upon.

What is clear, however, is that the hacker has a history of crime. In May of 2015, he served a community punishment after fraudulently selling items online.

For his current conviction, Ejankowski has received a sentence of 16 months. His partner, left with a baby, was given a six-month jail sentence with suspension.

Of the £100,000 Ejankowski stole, the bank recovered £34,000. He said he intended to pay back the entire sum. Hopefully not by circumventing another bank”s electronic system.