It has been reported that a cash machine in Manchester has been giving away “free money” due to a technical fault.
The news quickly spread on social media sites that the cash machine was giving out double the amount requested, and as a result, many people headed to the supermarket cash point in Fallowfield to take advantage.
It is thought that the error occurred due to a member of staff loading £20 notes into the £10 slots, meaning that the machine would give people £20 every time they requested £10.
Free money
But is there really such a thing as free money or is it classed as stealing? And what should you do if a cash machine gives you more money than requested?
Well, there isn’t a clear cut answer to this.
According to ITV, the Theft Act says that a person is guilty of theft if they take property belonging to another “with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.” Therefore, if the person taking the money was unaware of the malfunction and assumes that it is their money, there was no crime.
In theory, those who returned to the cash point repeatedly or went to the ATM when tipped off by another, may not be as innocent as they think as they’ve visited the cash point with the intention of taking money that isn’t actually theirs.
However, even though there would be evidence enough that the cash was taken, there is no specific law dealing with taking money from a faulty ATM.
Despite this, it isn’t the first time a case like this has been investigated. Earlier this year, the Crown Prosecution Service said that the only way an investigation could be launched is if the bank concerned with the faults made an official complain. In this particular case the bank let their customers keep any extra money that they had received.
However, morally it is expected that someone should return any extra money that the cash machine has dispensed as there is no specific law dealing with taking money from a faulty ATM.
Speaking to ITV News, Brian Mairs, for the British Bankers’ Association, said: “If an ATM dispenses money to you in error, you should take it into the branch as soon as possible. Taking money that is not yours is a punishable crime.
“Banks have invested heavily in recent years in ensuring the security of customers’ money and the integrity of ATMs. There have been instances where an ATM has malfunctioned and the bank has written off the loss, but it would be wrong to assume that they will do so every time.”
Photo by redspotted.
