EAST, Texas (KLTV) – Bruce Gentry opened his Coinbase app for a routine check and saw a balance of $197 billion.
“There were so many zeros on my screen, they actually went in behind some of the icons on the screen,” Gentry said.
The Titus County resident couldn’t believe what he was looking at.
“Believe me, I never see that many zeros unless I got a calculator and put them in myself,” he said.
Coinbase tied the issue to a May 7 outage. The company called it “purely a display issue.” The multi-billion dollar figure displayed on the screen wasn’t actually in the account.
What the money could have meant
Gentry admitted he let himself dream about what life-changing money like that could mean.
“To be honest, probably find myself a better position of where I live,” Gentry said. “And then probably set up some kind of charitable fund or something like that and start helping people.”
Gentry said he never tried to withdraw it. That was the right call.
According to SoFi:
Legal realityMoney accidentally deposited into your account is not legally yours — it must be returnedKeeping or spending it can be considered theft, potentially leading to criminal charges, probation, or even prison timeWhat people should doReport it immediately to the bank — don’t waitDon’t touch, spend, move, or give away the moneyDocument all interactions (names, dates, follow-up emails)Monitor accounts regularly to catch errors earlyHow banks handle itBanks have 10–45 days to investigateBanks will find the error — through audits or the rightful owner reporting itThe bank can withdraw funds without permission, freeze accounts, or trigger overdrafts
“You gave me $197 billion. Your company’s worth 50-something billion,” Gentry said.
The balance vanished as fast as it showed up. Gentry said it’s a reminder not everything on a screen is real.
Experts say if something like this ever happens, the safest move is simple: don’t touch it and report it immediately.
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