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bobs12 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 310 Location: Saint Petersburg

Quick word of warning if you use a credit or debit card from your home bank to take money out at cashpoints:

If the machine says that it couldn't complete the transaction, keep any receipt that it gives you (always ask for a receipt anyway), make a note of the day, the place and the amount you tried to take out.

Check your statement (best to have online banking) and see whether there is a withdrawal for that day and time. If there is, there should be a corresponding chargeback where the machine decided that it couldn't give you the money.

I was 'robbed' of $400 in January by a bank machine. I queried the transaction with my UK bank at the start of this month, and they were able to put the money back within two days, but apparently it usually takes much longer.

A reliable sign that this has happened is that you go to another machine and it won't give you anything either, only this time it's because you've maxed out your daily limit.

One problem is that getting the money back relies on the Russian bank confirming that its books for the machine didn't tally...

Adios, amigos!

expatella_girl · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:40 pm Post subject:

Yep, this happens. I've heard it again and again.

Credit cards as well, although they have better fraud protections than checking account ATM cards.

The land of 1,000 scams......

zaneth · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:32 pm Post subject:

I wish I had $400 to be robbed of.

I've gone native. I keep my rubles under my mattress. But don't tell anyone.

bobs12 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 310 Location: Saint Petersburg

Hee hee, my American ex-flatmate used to do that. I just happened to be taking out two months' rent all at once, in case I got held up on my trip home. By 'held up' I mean delayed, not 'highway-robbed'.

It's the first time I know of that it's happened to me- in fact, the first time I know of in general. I know ATM's have been known to 'miscount' slightly, especially when handing out a big wad of small notes. I read a story recently about how one guy just got passed from pillar to post- the bank denied any problem in the machine.

Why don't they ever give out more than you ask for? That said, I do have a theory...

I just had a 'bad feeling' that time, so decided to check the statement. Lucky I did Very Happy

bobs12 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 310 Location: Saint Petersburg

Not so lucky. My bank took the money back from me.

Trust no one.

Nexus · Joined: 08 Mar 2004 Posts: 189 Location: Moscow

Well, bobs12, please explain - you must have asked the bank why they decided to take back the money? Did they give any reason?

bobs12 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 310 Location: Saint Petersburg

Will ask soon. As far as I understand, when something goes wrong with an ATM and it doesn't give out enough money, the bank only returns the money if they find that the count of money left in the machine doesn't tally against the computer record of what was paid out.

It's obviously not very difficult to pocket any difference you find.

It hardly seems worth the cost to ask 'why' - obviously the bank would simply deny any problems. I'll call when I have time to give them some grief about it, but there's not much else that can be done.