Queues form at Limerick Bank of Ireland ATMs as people withdraw cash following glitch

BANK users across Limerick city descended on ATMs this Tuesday night where they were seemingly able to withdraw large amounts of money despite insufficient funds.

"The town is chaos," said one eye witness as they reported approximately 50 people trying to withdraw money from Bank of Ireland ATMs, even if their accounts did not contain the funds. As people queued across Bedford Row to both partake and monitor the scenes, it was reported that account holders were withdrawing hundreds at a time.

Due to technical problems with Banking 365 online services, reports emerged that people with insufficient funds were allowed to transfer up to €1000 from Bank of Ireland to their Revolut accounts.

According to the witness, some individuals claimed to have withdrawn large amounts, with one person saying they received €500 from an ATM despite having an empty account, and another mentioning a €600 withdrawal.

Online discussions verified the situation, with some individuals questioning how money was withdrawn from empty accounts: "How did my sister return with €600 from the ATM when the [account] is empty?"

Another said: "Apparently Bank of Ireland had some huge error and people are able to take out up to €1,000 that they don't have."

Meanwhile, gardaí have begun patrolling ATMs across the country to prevent their misuse and disperse lengthy queues.

The day's earlier disruption left customers unable to use the mobile app for purchases and money transfers, and there were also reports of ATMs not functioning and payment issues at shops throughout the day.

Bank of Ireland acknowledged the issues on Twitter, stating, "We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties. We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will update here once service is restored."

We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties. We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will update here once service is restored.

— Bank of Ireland (@talktoBOI) August 15, 2023

Some users expressed frustration at the situation, mentioning declined cards and the inability to check balances, which left them without access to funds for essential purchases like food and electricity.

One bank account holder asked: "Is there any update? We’ve had no access to accounts for hours to transfer money for important purchases." 
 
Bank of Ireland reassured customers that the disruption was due to technical problems and not a data breach, responding to concerns from account holders: "Please be assured that this is a technical issue and there has not been a data breach."