Needless to say, Brazilian bus driver Antônio Pereira was pretty shocked

A bus driver and father-of-four from Brazil was caught completely off guard when he woke up one morning to find his bank balance had gone from $46 to $26.7 million overnight.

I think all of us have dreamed about becoming a millionaire at one point or another – except the lucky few like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are already there.

It’s easy to let your mind wander to all the luxurious vacations and amazing experiences you could have if you were suddenly flushed with cash, but most of the time we accept it’s not going to happen.

But what if it did – even just for a few hours?

Antônio Pereira, a grandfather-of-14 as well as a father-of-four, had no idea how much his wealth would change when he went to bed one night in June last year, but the next morning he found himself a millionaire – all due to a mistake.

Pereira knew the only way he could really win such a mega amount of money would be by playing the lottery, and considering he didn’t play it, he knew something must be wrong.

TV Anhanguera

Speaking to TV Anhanguera earlier about the number in his bank, he said: “So many zeros appeared that I was scared … I’ve never seen money like that in my life.

“And I’ll never get it in my life, only if I win in the Mega Sena, and I don’t play.”

While it would be nice for millions of dollars to suddenly appear out of nowhere, the unexpected financial windfall actually came about as a result of an errant transfer that should have gone to another bank account.

There are probably a lot of people out there who would take the money and run, but Pereira sees himself as a trustworthy person, so never even thought about withdrawing any of the money.

TV Anhanguera

“I went to my house and told my wife, ‘We got rich.’ But immediately my wife also said, ‘Let’s give it back,” Pereira recalled.

The bus driver then visited his neighborhood bank, where he had been a customer for 25 years, to return the money.

“At nine o’clock at night, the money left my account for their account,” he said, meaning that before the day was over, he’d lost his millionaire status for good.

Though it’s gutting to imagine, it was probably for the best, as a Brazilian lawyer explained that Pereira would have been required to return the money regardless.

Lawyer Paula Dângelo told TV Anhanguera: “So, although you are happy with the situation, with the surprise, a miracle happened, using that money is a crime.”

He added a person could face civil and criminal penalties if they used money sent to them by mistake.