A bank is prosecuting 84 customers who rushed to take money from an ATM machine that handed out EUR 50 notes instead of EUR 20.
The incident happened in the lower Austrian town of Stockerau when a bank employee put the EUR 50 notes into the EUR 20 container which were then counted by the machine as EUR 20 notes.
Word about the machine’s malfunctioning dispenser quickly spread, leading to a queue of people who had quickly removed all of the money from the device.
But now all 84 who took it in turns to withdraw money are being prosecuted for embezzlement.
Prosecutors did not say the name of the bank responsible for the mix-up, but admitted the bank had suffered a five figure loss as a result of the error, and wanted the money back.
The 84 people charged were all logged as having taken money out that day and as a result will now have to answer the charges in court.
The police spokesman added: “This was not a victimless crime. Keeping money which you have been given by mistake including money that has been found on the street can have legal consequences.”
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Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Angjela Trajkovska, Agency: Central European News
