STRATEGIC PARTNERS
April 19, 2000
SEATTLE -- A faulty ATM at a Seattle-area McDonald's in 1998 gave more than $75,000 away to at least seven people without deducting the money from their accounts, according to the Seattle Times. Snohomish County sheriff's detectives are attempting to locate one of the ATM users, a 23-year-old man suspected of taking at least $18,060 from the machine. According to court records, the ATM was installed in the summer of 1998 with the wrong software, allowing money to be withdrawn without debiting from people's accounts. Detectives contacted seven people suspected of making fraudulent transactions, and several of them said they knew they withdrew more than they had in their accounts. An affidavit in support of a search warrant did not say what authorities planned to do in those cases. According to court records, the 23-year-old suspect used a debit card to make 46 withdrawals of $200 each in a five-hour period during a single day. Detectives attempted to track the man down through his bank, but the account had been closed. He told bank employees he was moving to Mexico.
