Student wakes up to a £100b debt nightmare

If you've ever woken up after a night out and been given a fright by the amount of money you spent, spare a thought for the Scottish man who woke up to find himself £100 billion in debt.

Donald Moffat was given the nasty surprise when his bank statement showed him £100 billion overdrawn following a "technical error" at his bank, according to news agency AFP.

Mr Moffat said his wife noticed the "discrepancy" of two £50 billion withdrawals when he logged on to his account to check his balance online.

The 38-year-old student and part-time care worker said the find had made him very nervous.

"Since I saw it I've been shaking, I've been feeling sick – everything," he is reported to have said.

"We knew we still had quite a bit left in the account as we checked last night before we went out.

"This morning I went out to get a few things then, when I came back, my account was overdrawn by that amount."

Barclays, who Mr Moffat banks with, said in a statement a technical glitch had caused the error and was corrected within the hour.

"No customers will be financially impacted by this error. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers."

- © Fairfax NZ News