Escapist thread: ATM's and 'free money'

[Ginger Tea]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/foru...s-a-broken-ATM

In the OP a hypotetical situation arises that an ATM spits out money before you put your card in and it is not the previous users money coming out way late just a giltch, would they keep the money?

As most if not all ATM's world wide now have camera's on them you would be seen if they knew there was an issue to look into, but if you never inserted your card you are just a face of thousands with no bank account to link your face to.

This happened to me once, I go to the next available machine and whilst getting my card out a few fivers spit out, roughly the ammount I was going to withdraw, so I stay off the grid as far as them taking it out of my account and put both the money and un used card away.
It might have been the previous customers money, but they left the bank and were not headed to a teller to say "the machine never gave me my money."
I also found a twenty coming home from a night out or a late shift walking home via a different route, just lying there in the gutter, that too ended up in my pocket as it was too small an amount to report to the police, a duffle bag of twenties would be handed in (maybe sans a few here and there) as if unclaimed it can then be given back to the person who handed it in, this has happened in the past and some kind sole 3 months later was a few K richer.

But also my dad withdrew a small amount and got double back as they had put £20's in the ten box and vise versa at the local supermarket, people found out about this and called their mates (pre everyone had a mobile days) and emptied it in no time, thing is the bank found out the error and each withdrawl was amended accordingly, so my dad's £20 withdrawl £20 more was later deducted, so all those after double your money, well they ended up overdrawn more than likely, yes the bank made and error, or the person feeding the branches supermarket ATM did, but they were not going to write it off.
Also in those days supermarkets with ATM's had one per major bank as most did not communicate with each other as they do now, so they did not need to know which of the 5 it was by directions eg 2nd from left, but which bank.

So I know that if one did spit out the wrong amount in my favour, chances are my account would be corrected, if it gave me tens instead of twenties and this was in a branch, I would go inside (if bank hours) and inform them of the issue.

[HYHYBT]

Money hanging out of the ATM before you put your card in is not the same as the gutter situation at all. Money in a gutter is, as you point out, virtually impossible to return to the person who lost it, or even to be re-found by that person if left where it is. Money in an ATM slot, on the other hand, isn't yet lost. Left in place a few seconds, maybe as much as a minute, it will be re-swallowed by the ATM, and the bank will know where it belongs.

[Ginger Tea]

iir at the time of my 'good fortune' OK it was about £20 in fivers I think the cash was 100% deposited out of the ATM not held in it's grasp, it was in the late 90's so I'm not 100% sure, hell in the late 80's they used to have a sliding guard over the whole thing save for the card slot.

I had a further read on the link, someone said "so that means if someones wallet fell out of their pocket you would be OK with that." a statement not a question, thing is the hypothetical glitch was not the previous customers money popping out late or being neglected, so no ones bank account would be dented.

Most it seems would it seems take the money if no one was watching.
If it was an outside ATM out of banking hours and I was about to stick my card in and money just appeared (no previous customer to be seen), yes I would take it, knowing full well it is not mine.
I almost got given back more in change than I handed a casheer once at HMV oop norf, I almost pocketed it without noticing, but I check my change and saw the ammount, two brand new notes were stuck together.
I told her this and handed her back the excess, if I had not checked my change I would not have gone back later to rectify it, but also knowing I had more made be turn a bit red and as there was a security guard right behind her, who knows perhaps it was a morality test, but I decided not to take my chances and did the decent thing.

But the money going back in, that explains why there were a few notes just visible from the dispenser opening.

[SongsOfDragons]

Money in the ATM slot: Personally? I wouldn't touch it. Not with a bargepole. I swear I saw something on the Real Hustle like that once. I'd go to another ATM.

If a machine gave me more or less than it should, I'd call the helpline listed on it, or go in branch if it was nextdoor and open. I had to call the helpline on the one in my local station, as it wasn't giving out any money - they had to come and repair it.

[cindybubbles]

Not an ATM example, but relevant: I once found a $20 bill in the common area next to the hallway with the elevators; we ended up giving the money to the church.

[HYHYBT]

It seems to me that if the ATM is a design where the money expelled just sits in a tray (I haven't seen one like that in a long time, if ever, but self checkouts are like that) and you *are* going to take the money, the thing to do would be to pretend you don't even see it. Just use your card to withdraw an amount that will come out as more than one bill, then pick it all up without looking at it. That way, it looks like an innocent mistake.

[Skunkle]

Nope. Wouldn't keep it. I'd take it to the teller and explain.

I and a friend did once run into what might've been a sting trying to catch people stealing from ATMs. Taking a walk at night, we found a crowd at a local bank being interviewed by police, who were also (separately) talking casually to a tiny black woman in a business suit and a huge black guy in a Hawaiian shirt, who got into a Lexus and left. Everyone was let go, cops all left, except for one who pulled back a ways and sat in his car.

A different Lexus pulls in. Out walk a different tiny black woman in a suit and a different big black guy in a Hawaiian shirt. (Cue blank stares) They go to the ATM - together. Stand there - together. Walk away - together - despite the ATM beeping loudly to say, "Hey, stupid, you left your card in the slot!" (no cash left, just the card) We walked up, grabbed it and went, hey, you forgot this. They both turn, act flustered, grab it, and jet, FAST-- and the cop turns on his interior light and gives us the fingers-to-eyes "I'm watching you" gesture. So maybe there are stings looking to nab people like that...?

[Dreamstalker]

I've found cards left in ATMs before, always taken them into the bank before doing my own transactions.

Once the card's owner showed up as I was handing it into customer service. He flipped out, thought I was stealing his card...dude, if I was stealing it do you really think I would have come back into the bank? The manager eventually convinced the guy that I was turning it in for his own safety....part of me wanted the guy to call the cops as I know most of the officers by name

Not directly related, but relevant: I've found abandoned cashback in the SCOs before. Once I was able to chase the customer down, once I wasn't. I tried to give the money to the desk but was told "you keep it, if the customer comes back I'll tell them it's safe and have you paged" (I put it in my apron pocket with the receipt). That never happened... The other day a customer got cashback at my register and walked off (the transaction hadn't completed, I didn't realize until I hit Finish on the pinpad that they had gotten cash back). I put it by the register under the receipt in case they came back before my shift ended....they never did.

[Ginger Tea]

I've never understood the need for cashback, mostly cos the supermarkets round here have ATM's and I see no reason to treat a cash till as a bank (shocking I know, then again we don't see many £50's and have nothing higher).

But the guy seleced cash back and walked off without waiting for it or for that matter the transaction to be finished and did not notice they were down $20 or whatever dollars?
Perhaps s/he has been so used to selecting cash back in the past that they did it without thinking and will possibly catch it when they get their bank statement/check online, by then it might be too late.

[Aethian]

I do cashback for when I have to go do laundry and the place I go to doesn't have the card machines.

[Ginger Tea]

I only associate Cashback with ammounts higher than £20, I guess you could do a cash back for £2 etc ...

[Aethian]

Lowest I've seen for cash back is 10 bucks.

[Ginger Tea]

When you said cash back for the laundrette, I just assumed you asked the cashier for a few bucks in whichever denomination of coins it accepted.

[Aethian]

Right, one load of laundry is 2 bucks at the one I go to, since I do drying at home. I usually get between 10 and 20 back once a week to do 5-7 loads for the next week.

[HYHYBT]

I've never understood the need for cashback, mostly cos the supermarkets round here have ATM's and I see no reason to treat a cash till as a bank (shocking I know, then again we don't see many £50's and have nothing higher).

Depends on how you define "need" for this purpose. Which is easier, answering "20" when the pad asks how much cash you want back on a transaction you're doing anyway, or going to the ATM, however nearby it may be, and running a separate transaction? Plus the ATM will likely charge you a fee, while the cash back doesn't.