HUNDREDS of people queued at a cashpoint machine after it began dishing out extra money - and the giveaway lasted SIX hours.
It spewed out £60 every time it was asked for £30. Customers used several debit cards more than five times - and then phoned pals to tell them to join the queue for the Nationwide machine at the BP garage on Barton Road, Stretford.
Shan Cliff, 21, said: "Most people have taken out hundreds of pounds. No one's going to turn down free money. I don't know whether it will show in our accounts but it's their mistake not ours."
A Nationwide official said: "We're looking into it and we can't say yet whether the customers will have to pay the money back."
The machine is believed to have started paying out the wrong amounts at 11am yesterday (Thursday) and carried out until around 4.20pm. T
he screen then went blank and the system began rebooting itself. But after showing a brief `temporarily out of service' message, it began dishing out the extra cash again.
A 33-year-old man, who benefited to the tune of £150 but did not want to be named, said: "The banks have had enough off us so it's good to get a little back.
"My friend texted me about 2pm. I couldn't believe it. You had to wait a while because people are putting their cards in five and six times but it was well worth it."
At one point, fifty people were in the queue.
Matt Casey, 21, who works in the Subway restaurant at the garage, said: "There's been a queue out there all day."
Legally, it is at the discretion of the bank whether to seek to identify every `faulty' transaction and reclaim any overpayment. But in most previous cases, they have simply written off their losses.
Zoe Steven, spokeswoman for Nationwide, said: "We can confiorm there was a problem and the ATM has been taken out of action while the problem is investigated.
"It will be put back in place and ready for action for the weekend. Obviously, some people were deliberately using the machine to take money which doesn't belong to them and we were disappointed people didn't alert us to it earlier in the day.
"I can confirm there was a problem with a third party supplier incorrectly loading the machine.
"At this stage we are still investigating the problem but we will reserve the right to contact people on an individual basis regarding this matter."
Comments
Login or Register to comment
This just proves that most peoples' sanctimoniousness about criminality is humbug. That they don't even recognise they have done wrong underlines the fact.
paupers
Scroungers!!
The bank will be aware of who made the 30 quid transactions, but they can't prove if it the machine gave 30 or 60.
So they may try may try and bluff people to give it back, more so individuals making multi 30 quid withdrawls a in a short time.
Yet I very much doubt that it would hold up in a court of law. So it's all a matter of personal honesty.
Is it not theft to knowing receive money that you know you should not be getting...
kendomat, Salford – “Is it not theft to knowing receive money that you know you should not be getting”.
Not true - A person is guilty of theft if: he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.
Sorry kendomat, Salford – I meant to say True :-)
Yes you are quite correct.
Remember the thousands people were getting from bank charge refunds? That would still be going on if they hadn't put a freeze on it for the investigation.
Banks have stolen money from plenty of us and continue to do so with their punative penalties.
kendomat, Salford – “Is it not theft to knowing receive money that you know you should not be getting”.
Not true - A person is guilty of theft if: he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.
Justified True Belief , - formerly Viewer of Life
16/01/2009 at 09:48
So that's theft then!
who said there was no such thing as a free lunch and subway next door with half price offers
As anyone who has ever been short changed by an ATM will know - they simply DONT make mistakes.
The bank will insist on this, as such this ATM clearly didnt hand out any extra money.
Fair enough I say
Justified True Belief - I assure you it is theft but more than that a really sad indication of how low we have sunk.
one in the eye for the Banks! Great my bank owes me £300 that I'm going to take to court and get the on the steps settlement because they know they are breaking the law with charges.
This is theft, it is similar to walking behind somebody, who drops a tenner and you pick it up and keep it, knowing who it belongs to. in times past, we were expected to inform the police if we found money, they would give us so many days and if nobody claimed it, we were allowed to keep it ourselves. That was when society was more honest, can you inagine that now?
A novel way of actioning the Government strategy for boosting the economy...
All the bank will do is put their charges up ,and they will charge those who have gained out of this error etra charges if they overdraw,The bank will always win.But it will cost the rest of us.But what i did notice on the pictures were most of the people had big earings and hoodies.
Probably somebody filled the £10 note silo with £20 notes.
'Unjust enrichment' would probably apply here. It's an old law but applies when somebody intentionally gains at another's expense where the situation could reasonably be considered to be a mistake.
I suspect that they'd let the first withdrawal go, but adjust accounts for subsequent withdrawals.
Well its the banks mistake so it their fault at the end of the day just wish the cash machine I used did it
Justified True Belief , - formerly Viewer of Life; So it is theft then?
If I dishonestly go to the cash machine get £30 extra and then don't give it back; it's theft plain and simple.
Do people wonder why the banks will get away with charging extra for things when you rip them off, we'll be paying for it in some way!
Its about time the banks got a taste of their own medicine, with all the charges they dish out.
So if these people accidentally overpay their tax bill or something they won't expect a refund?
What was wrong with my comment ?
Solution: The banks MUST know which card has used this scam and their OWNERS. CLOSE THEIR ACCOUNTS without question ,they will also know how much each individual has taken.THEY HAVE TAKEN MY MONEY NOT THE BANK's
britain is turning into an absolute cesspool no morality of any kind from top to bottom the gravy train for recieving will end their is no respect for teachers or police no guidance from parents and everybody expects something for nothing if the country goes into a DEPRESSION you will not know whats hit you!! and then you will have to get of your backsides and do something constuctive for yourself and society
Last week the Govenment announced that they are considering printing more money.
No wonder if this kind of thing keeps happening.