News

He just wanted his $1

March 20, 2012

A Palm Beach man has finally been driven to file a police report because he says an ATM shorted him $1 on a cash deposit, a news item at the palmbeachdailynews.com reported.

The man said the incident began on Feb. 12 when he deposited $850 in cash at a deposit automated ATM but got a receipt for only $849. "The customer tried to cancel the transaction but the machine did not give back the money," said the police report.

Then things got Twilight Zone. When the customer went into the bank to report his missing dollar, the teller found no trace in the system of a deposit in any amount. The bank temporarily credited him with $850 (he did have a receipt, after all) while they sorted out the problem.

A month later, the man received a note from the bank that the machine had correctly processed the transaction and that his account was being debited $850. If he wanted to pursue the matter, the bank said, he would have to file a police report. Results of the police investigation are still pending.

For more on this topic, visit our bank automation research center.