A technical glitch at the Bank of Ireland prompted a rush to ATMs, allowing some customers to withdraw more than their limits, leading to queues and police intervention
A surprising technological glitch at the Bank of Ireland sparked a rush of people heading to ATMs to withdraw substantial sums, regardless of their account balances, according to a BBC report. Social media was flooded with images and videos depicting extensive lines outside ATMs all over the country on August 15.
Although the Bank of Ireland asserted a daily withdrawal limit of 500 Euros, some individuals claimed to have successfully accessed double that amount. Interestingly, even those with low balances reportedly managed to withdraw 1,000 euros in cash, as reported by The Telegraph.
Bank error in your favour. Collect thousands of dollars 😂😂😂
Scenes across Ireland tonight as a glitch at the 'Bank of Ireland' meant people were able to withdraw €1000s even if they have nothing in their account. Cops are now guarding machines. pic.twitter.com/mWv38AsVRU
The situation prompted Ireland's national police force, the Gardaí, to intervene at various locations, aiming to prevent excessive withdrawals and disperse the gathering crowds, according to the Irish Times.
right now on O Connell Street, the world has gone mad 😂 pic.twitter.com/LOkT3LvGcy
— Denise Ross (@iDeniseRoss)Following a banking error today, Free State police have been deployed across the country to protect Bank of Ireland ATMs from ordinary citizens making withdrawals.
There is no better demonstration that the purpose of the police is to guard the interests of capital. pic.twitter.com/e8RoTTigCU
Following the chaos, the bank acknowledged facing technical difficulties but announced on Wednesday morning that the issues had been resolved. In a tweet, the bank confirmed the restoration of functionality to its app and 365 Online banking services.
Additionally, the bank issued a warning to customers, cautioning that any funds transferred or withdrawn beyond their usual limits would be deducted from their accounts.
Following the outage yesterday, the App and 3650nline are back working again. Overnight payments to accounts may appear throughout the day. We sincerely apologise for the disruption this outage caused - we know it fell far below the standards our customers expect from us.
— Bank of Ireland (@talktoBOI)In a statement, the bank acknowledged, "We are aware that the technical issue meant some customers were able to withdraw or transfer funds above their normal limits. These transfers and withdrawals will be applied to customers' accounts today. We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us."