On 15 August 2023, due to a glitch, Bank of Ireland ATMs began dispensing €1,000 to each customer with a zero account balance.
Customers began lining up at such ATMs after they learned about the banking error through word of mouth and social networks. Police said they were aware of an "unusual level of activity" around the ATMs and that Bank of Ireland's banking services were experiencing problems.
Law enforcement agencies were forced to secure some bank offices after photographs were posted on social media of large queues at ATMs in Dublin, Limerick and Duncolk. Bank of Ireland warned all clients that all attempts to withdraw money due to this bug until it is fixed will be recorded, and this amount will be debited from the client's account, including going into a negative balance if there are insufficient funds in the account.
“While we recognize that customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they may go into overdraft,” the bank said in a statement.
The police reminded Irish citizens "of their personal responsibility for carrying out personal banking transactions."
According to media sources, a system error also occurred in the bank’s online application. The bug allowed up to €500 to be transferred to a Revolut bank account from Bank of Ireland accounts with a zero balance or in excess of their normal limits.
On August 16, Bank of Ireland specialists corrected all errors in the operation of ATMs and the mobile application. Before this, the bank had to disable some services, including online services and access to the mobile application, so that customers would not spend other people’s money due to a technical failure. “We encourage any customer who is experiencing financial difficulties due to overdrafts on their account to contact us,” Bank of Ireland said.
Customers began lining up at such ATMs after they learned about the banking error through word of mouth and social networks. Police said they were aware of an "unusual level of activity" around the ATMs and that Bank of Ireland's banking services were experiencing problems.
Law enforcement agencies were forced to secure some bank offices after photographs were posted on social media of large queues at ATMs in Dublin, Limerick and Duncolk. Bank of Ireland warned all clients that all attempts to withdraw money due to this bug until it is fixed will be recorded, and this amount will be debited from the client's account, including going into a negative balance if there are insufficient funds in the account.
“While we recognize that customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they may go into overdraft,” the bank said in a statement.
The police reminded Irish citizens "of their personal responsibility for carrying out personal banking transactions."
According to media sources, a system error also occurred in the bank’s online application. The bug allowed up to €500 to be transferred to a Revolut bank account from Bank of Ireland accounts with a zero balance or in excess of their normal limits.
On August 16, Bank of Ireland specialists corrected all errors in the operation of ATMs and the mobile application. Before this, the bank had to disable some services, including online services and access to the mobile application, so that customers would not spend other people’s money due to a technical failure. “We encourage any customer who is experiencing financial difficulties due to overdrafts on their account to contact us,” Bank of Ireland said.
