Dozens of people have been queuing to withdraw money after a Bank of Scotland machine in Glasgow, UK, began dispensing extra cash.
Strathclyde Police said they were alerted to the incident at the Bank of Scotland, on Stonelaw Road in Rutherglen, around Saturday lunchtime.
Officers went to the scene and alerted the bank, who were able to switch off the machine remotely.
The Bank of Scotland said the branch would “contact any customers who have been affected”.
Ecstatic customers flocked to the Bank of Scotland ATM after realizing the machine was dispensing extra cash today.
The machine was reported to be issuing double the amount requested by customers making withdrawals, until police were alerted and stood guard at the cashpoint until the bank could shut down the machine.
The Bank of Scotland was eventually able to switch off the machine remotely after being alerted to the costly blunder. It said it was unlikely to take action because of the difficulty of tracing all the payments dispensed this afternoon.
Dozens of people have been queuing to withdraw money after a Bank of Scotland machine in Glasgow, UK, began dispensing extra cash
A crowd had gathered when the ATM started pumping out the extra notes.
Word of the fault spread after a picture of the queue at the bank machine was posted on Twitter.
One user, Lauren, tweeted: “The bank of Scotland at Burnside was giving out double money now police are standing there so no one can go to it #gutting.”
Disappointed Mark Gallagher, who uses the Stonelaw Road branch, tweeted: “I was elsewhere.”
Bank of Scotland said in a statement: “We can confirm that, for a very short period of time, the ATM in Burnside, Glasgow, was mis-dispensing cash.
“It will be difficult to trace all payments, as they won’t all be our customers, so it’s unlikely that we will take action.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
Popular LA bakery Sprinkles, which launched a cupcake ATM Stateside, is bringing the device to the UK so that shoppers can get a sugary fix at all hours of the day.
Sprinkles, which is said to be considering a number of different locations in London to install the machine, churned out up to 1,000 cupcakes a day when it opened the same facility in Los Angeles – and even reported that the machine crashed because of high demand.
The ATM would be continuously restocked throughout the day and night with a choice of eight cupcake flavors at any one time, priced at around £3.50 ($5.50) each.
Sprinkles, which launched a cupcake ATM Stateside, is bringing the device to the UK
Nicole Schwartz, head of marketing at Sprinkles, explained that the machines can hold up to 600 cupcakes, and any cake dispensed will have only been baked a couple of hours earlier.
She told The Atlantic at the time of the LA launch: “The machine is attached to our bakery, which is essentially a 24-hour operation. By the time our closers leave at night, it’s 11:00 p.m. and our bakers arrive in the wee hours of the morning (2 or 3 a.m.!).
“We’ll constantly be restocking the automat with freshly baked cupcakes so the cupcake you receive will only have been baked a couple hours earlier.”
Whether the London machine will stock cakes for dogs too, like its LA counterpart is as yet unconfirmed.
Sprinkles in LA decided to stock the pet treats because health department regulations do not permit dogs in the bakery she explained, “so you don’t have to tie up Fido while you head inside”.
Sprinkles is as famous in its American birthplace for its A-list fans as it is its buttercream-frosted treats.
Heidi Klum, Blake Lively and the Kardashian sisters have all been spotted in its stores (though quite how they eat cupcakes and maintain those bodies is anyone’s guess).
And since The Great British Bakeoff hit screens, cupcakes are certainly in fashion on this side of the pond too.
Cakes, in flavors such as cinnamon sugar and chocolate coconut, sell for $3.50 each (£2.15) or $39 per dozen (£24) in the States, and prices are likely to be similar when the cakes launch in the UK.
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A new technology that will enable people to withdraw money from cash machines (ATM’s) using their smartphone has been unveiled.
Customers who use the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) or NatWest mobile banking app can now request cash, up to £100 ($160), via their smartphone.
They are given a six-digit code to enter into an ATM to release the cash.
A similar system has been developed by cash machine operator NCR. This requires users to scan a barcode to withdraw the money.
The services are the latest developments in a long-predicted move towards the smartphone becoming a digital wallet.
Customers who use the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) or NatWest mobile banking app can now request cash, up to £100 ($160), via their smartphone
RBS said that its new system would help customers who had forgotten their bank cards, or who wished to send cash to family members in a hurry.
It would also allow the people to leave their wallets at home in favor of taking a mobile phone, it suggested.
“It is a really simple and secure way to help our customers get cash whenever and wherever they need it,” said Ben Green, head of mobile at RBS and NatWest.
The service is available to customers who have downloaded the bank’s free app and use the 8,000 RBS, NatWest or Tesco branded ATMs in the UK. Some 2.6 million people have installed it on their smartphone so far, the bank said.
At present, customers using a card can withdraw up to £300 ($480). Initially the limit on the cardless withdrawal will be £100 ($160).
Access to the app requires a password, and the withdrawal code will be hidden until the user taps the screen. This is aimed at preventing thieves from looking over the user’s shoulder to steal the code.
The system is an extension of a RBS service that allowed people whose card had been stolen to access emergency cash from an ATM.
The bank is also unveiling a system which allows customers to make charity donations at its ATMs.
In a separate development, NCR has announced that it has developed software that allows people to scan a barcode on their smartphone at an ATM to release an amount entered in their smartphone.
It is looking for banks and building societies to adopt the software.
