People rush to double their money at a Queenstown ATM

People rush to double their money at ATM

By SUE FEA - The Southland Times | Thursday, 23 August 2007

SUE FEA/Southland Times

Excited customers made a dash for "quick cash" after hearing that, to their delight, Queenstown's Kiwibank ATM machine was doling out "double your money".

Police said they were finally called by a concerned taxi driver who watched, perplexed, with fellow cabbies as queues of 15 to 20 happy, smiling people lined up from 10pm, texting their friends to say the ATM was "spitting out two for one".

"People were definitely aware of it," one taxi driver who did not want to be named, said yesterday.

"It was a backpacker bonanza.

"There were queues of 15 to 20 people at any one time for a good six hours from about 10pm until 4am ...," he said.

Kiwibank comunications manager Bruce Thompson said the cash boxes had been stacked incorrectly by a contractor responsible for filling the machine and, unfortunately, a lot of people "took the opportunity for a Tuesday night bonus".

Some people had already experienced "tinges of conscience," returning the money yesterday, while others were obviously hoping no one would ever follow it up.

The $10 notes had been stacked in the $20 box and the $20 notes in the $10 box, but someone had picked up on what was happening after receiving double the amount for a small transaction issued in $10 notes, Mr Thompson said.

"For example a small $20 transaction normally issued in two $10 notes was issuing two $20 notes," he said.

"This went on for several hours before we were advised and shut the machine down....."