Man in China deposits joss paper in ATM hoping to boost account balance

A man in Jiangxi, China inserts joss paper money into an ATM as he was "running out of money." Photo illustration by Pexels

The man, identified as Zheng, tried to make the deposit early in the morning, making the machine crash due to the notes, which are usually burned as offerings for the deceased, being the wrong size, reported South China Morning Post Wednesday.

He then moved to another teller machine to check his account balance.

His crime was revealed after the bank made a report to the police about the broken machine. As authorities checked the surveillance video, they saw Zheng was the culprit, tracked him down, and arrested him.

He was placed under administrative custody soon after.

Chinese social media users have had a good laugh as the incident went viral.

"What a big dream and a harsh reality," one netizen wrote.

"Actually his balance did increase, but he will have to spend it after he dies," another joked.