Horridbloke Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I received this letter from the Nationwide last week: I initially suspected this was a weird new scam but as it wasn't actually requesting I do anything I waited a few days and sure enough the promised refund has appeared in my account. Okay, the 40 pounds isn't hugely important to me and I guess I was a pillock on that fateful day all those years ago, but I'd love to know how something like this can sit in the system for nearly eight years and finally get resolved. It begs the question what other surprises are lurking in an old banking database somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disenfranchised Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I received this letter from the Nationwide last week: It begs the question what other surprises are lurking in an old banking database somewhere... All sorts. I've done a fair bit of work on back office sterling reconciliation, and it's fairly terrifying just how bad most of them are at it. The fact this one came back so late in the day is probably the result of RBS screwing up. Often when work gets moved from site to site, some unthanked clerk somewhere who was quietly reconciling the account where the discrepancies were held gets made redundant, and the bank forget all about it until something goes wrong or triggers a closer look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Yes, it's weird. OP, can you actually remember doing this? Forgetting to take the cash from the ATM? I did the same thing once myself, £100, I'm wondering if in about 2018 I'll get it back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horridbloke Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Yes, it's weird. OP, can you actually remember doing this? Forgetting to take the cash from the ATM? I did the same thing once myself, £100, I'm wondering if in about 2018 I'll get it back! Well, I have to take Nationwide's word for it really. I think I was in a bad mood at that time after being dumped, so that would explain the original mistake. But given the cashpoint hardware is designed to handle this event and there's a mechanism for reversing the withdrawal how long should it take? A week? A month, absolute tops? The transaction latency is really annoying if you've ever witnessed how quickly transfers CAN happen. I once had to chat with my ISA supplier after they took a large debit card transfer from me twice and left me with about two quid in my current account. Following a 7pm two-minute conversation with somebody who was obviously a bit above front-line support I saw the money back in my account within the hour. (Tah to Disenfranchised for the inside view.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well, I have to take Nationwide's word for it really. I think I was in a bad mood at that time after being dumped, so that would explain the original mistake. But given the cashpoint hardware is designed to handle this event and there's a mechanism for reversing the withdrawal how long should it take? A week? A month, absolute tops? I've done it once, in 1999 at a Lloyds TSB (as was) ATM. I'd printed out a mini statement & something odd was on it so whilst stood there trying to work out what it was the machine took my cash back into the dispenser. After walking away & realising I went back & spoke to a teller & she said not to worry & that it just wouldn't be debited. And it wasn't - all automatic. Yours is certainly a strange letter to receive all these years later! Don't blow it all at once, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC=dream Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I read an article online recently about a way of scamming the ATM's. You put in a withdrawal amount of say £250, but leave the top and bottom note in the dispenser. The notes left get withdrawn back in to the machine and the ATM thinks you have forgotten to take the cash. You then get a credit of £250 back in to your account whilst pocketing the notes you did withdraw. Not sure if it works though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horridbloke Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I read an article online recently about a way of scamming the ATM's. You put in a withdrawal amount of say £250, but leave the top and bottom note in the dispenser. The notes left get withdrawn back in to the machine and the ATM thinks you have forgotten to take the cash. You then get a credit of £250 back in to your account whilst pocketing the notes you did withdraw. Not sure if it works though. People were talking about that one twenty years ago and I'd be astonished if countermeasures aren't in place now. It's probably feasible to video the whole transaction and keep the recording when the money apparently isn't taken, but that's just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevaliant Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Years ago, I heard rumour of an ATM that was stocked with £20s instead of £10s. You asked for £10 and got a £20 note. I'm told people figured out pretty quickly and asked for £250 to then get £500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Years ago, I heard rumour of an ATM that was stocked with £20s instead of £10s. You asked for £10 and got a £20 note. I'm told people figured out pretty quickly and asked for £250 to then get £500. Happens from time to time... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2146747/Free-money-Customers-cash-ATM-pays-double-bank-says-windfall.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nationalist Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) I heard of an ATM that started dispensing cut out pieces of newspaper. The member of staff whose job it was to stock the machine before a three-day weekend had put some regular notes on top of a big stack of cut outs and done a runner. (This was in the US.) Edited January 28, 2014 by Nationalist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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