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Instant billionaires

HONG KONG: An error in a bank computer turned some Hong Kong people into instant billionaires - but only for a few hours and only in cyberspace.

A number of depositors at the Hang Seng Bank saw their accounts soar dramatically as a software glitch added a series of nines to the end of their balances, spokeswoman Cecilia Kosaid Thursday.

The bank quickly fixed the problem and none of the customers attempted to withdraw the extra money, she said.

The glitch appeared on Tuesday - or February 29, 2000 - a date that had high-tech experts on the lookout for so-called Y2K problems that can occur when computers misread the date. But Ko said the problem was not Y2K related and that the bank is fully Y2K complaint.

"The problems were very short-lived - about three hours," Ko said. She said she could not provide a number for the affected customers.-AP