Malaysian Returns Overpaid Salary In 2004 — And Kept The Bank’s Letter Ever Since

In 2004, a Malaysian theme park employee returned RM15,698 mistakenly credited to his account — and kept the bank’s thank-you letter for 22 years.

In Brief

In 2004, Yong Kok Tong returned RM15,698 accidentally credited to his account, protecting a bank officer from being held liable.
AmBank sent Yong a formal letter of appreciation praising his honesty, which he kept for 22 years.
Yong shared the letter on social media as a reminder that integrity means doing right even when no one watches.

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When Yong Kok Tong checked his account balance on payday in 2004, the number was wrong — but not in the way most people dread.

Instead of his expected salary of RM1,744.22, an additional RM15,698 was credited to his account.

A bank officer had accidentally added an extra digit during the salary transfer.

Yong, who was working at Cosmo’s World Theme Park in Kuala Lumpur at the time, returned the extra amount to AmBank the following day.

He did not keep a single ringgit.

Shortly after, he received a phone call from a young bank officer — in tears, thanking him.

The Call That Came After

Yong later learned that had the money not been returned, the officer responsible for the error could have been held liable for the loss.

At the time, a bank officer’s monthly salary was approximately RM1,500 to RM2,000.

AmBank Berhad’s Kuala Lumpur Main branch subsequently sent Yong a formal letter of appreciation, dated 6 February, 2004, praising him for his sincerity and honesty.

His employer, Cosmo’s World Theme Park Sdn Bhd, was copied in.

Yong kept the letter.

Twenty-two years later, he shared it on social media — not as a boast, he wrote, but as a reminder. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”