Hundreds of Bank of Ireland customers rushed to ATMs across the country Tuesday night after a technical glitch allowed them to withdraw up to $1,000 in money they didn’t have in their accounts, according to local reports.
Cars lined up outside the Bank of Ireland location in Lisduggan at 10 p.m. where customers were cashing in on the seemingly “free” cash, local station WLR reported.
One person told the outlet that they withdrew more than $1,000 from their account — more than they had in their checkings. Another said they cashed out $500.
Ireland’s national police, the Garda Síochána, told the Independent that it was aware of an “unusual volume of activity” at ATMs across the county.
An IT error with the online app allowed customers to transfer up to $1,000 from their Bank of Ireland accounts into a Revolut account — even if their balances were near zero, according to WLR. They could then withdraw the cash from an ATM.
However, the glitch in the system isn’t the free cash grab some customers believed it to be.
Bank of Ireland warned customers withdrawing and transferring funds that exceeded the amount of cash in their accounts that they will have to pay the money back.
“We would like to remind customers if transferring/withdrawing funds — including over normal limits — this money will be debited from their account,” the company tweeted. “We are conscious customers may not be able to check balances, but should not withdraw/transfer if they are likely to become overdrawn.”
The technical issues also disrupted customers’ access to the bank’s mobile app and online services, 365Online.
Bank of Ireland did not provide an estimated time for the services’ restoral, but said it was working to fix the issue “as quickly as possible.”
The company apologized to customers for the inconvenience.
