In July 2013, Chris Reynolds, 56 years old, logged on to his PayPal account and discovered that he had been credited with an astounding $92 quadrillion - to be exact, $92,233,720,368,547,800.
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With a mind-boggling sum of $92 quadrillion, Chris Reynolds immediately became the richest person in the world and the sole quadrillionaire on Earth.
In fact, his wealth surpassed that of Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim by more than a millionfold, as Slim's fortune amounted to a mere $67 billion. According to CNN, Chris Reynolds from Delaware County said, 'It’s a curious thing. I don’t know, maybe someone was having fun.
Prior to the credit appearing in his account, he said that his highest earnings had never exceeded 'a little over $1,000' from selling vintage BMW tires on eBay.
The sudden increase to an astonishing $92 quadrillion would have been an overwhelming experience for Reynolds.
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However, all good things do come to an end when PayPal promptly recognized its mistake. They rectified the issue and apologized to Reynolds for the 'inconvenience' caused.
A representative of PayPal stated, 'This is obviously an error and we appreciate that Mr. Reynolds understood this was the case.'
As compensation for the error, the online payment service offered to make a donation to a charity of Reynolds' choosing.
Then, a later statement said: "We think it's inspiring that he decided to use this occurrence to donate to a cause he believes in.
"And we hope to honor this spirit by donating to a cause of his choice – we've reached out to him to make this offer and to let him know we are grateful that he's a customer!"
In an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Reynolds told a reporter that he believed it meant he owed the money rather than possessing it.
However, when asked by the news outlet what he would have done with the money if he could have kept it, Reynolds also mentioned his intention to 'pay down the national debt' and expressed interest in purchasing 'the Phillies,' the baseball franchise if he could get it at a good price.
