Out of order: The cash machine in Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, which was dishing out free money(dailymail.co.uk) |
Hundreds of people cashed in after an ATM machine began paying out double - and a bank said they can keep the unexpected windfall. Some customers walked away thousands of pounds better off after news of the cash bonanza rapidly spread. Long queues quickly formed as residents in the affluent village of Milford-on-Sea, near Lymington, Hampshire, rushed to take money out. After around 200 residents withdrew money over a two-hour period, police arrived at the ATM to close it off. Police even took to Twitter to inform people the cash glitch was over. They tweeted: 'If you get a call that the ATM at HSBC in Milford-on-Sea is dishing out too much money - we are there already - Sorry folks! 'If you have knowingly received too much money from an ATM, the banks will chase you as this may be classed as fraud.' But HSBC said they would not be asking any customers to return the money as the mistake was theirs. A spokesman for the bank said it was not the customers' fault. He said: 'The machine was mis-dispensing and we won't be requesting the funds back. It is certainly not the liability of the customers.' Meanwhile, one villager, who asked not to be named, said: 'Some people used five or six bank cards and got £300 free with each card. 'At first it was all very jovial but it got a bit aggressive at one point when people started pushing in the queue.' James Jewell-Hazelton, 26, who was working next door in an off license at the time, said: 'It was hilarious - more and more people just kept arriving. 'I would say it was mostly middle-aged people but a few kids arrived on their bikes with what I presume were their parents' bank cards. But when the police arrived the crowd of people went off merrily down the road - I'm sure the pubs in the village did very well that night.' (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
英國某地一臺ATM機(jī)發(fā)生故障,在顧客取款時會吐出雙倍數(shù)額的現(xiàn)金,有數(shù)百名顧客趁機(jī)取款,但銀行表示大家可以留下這份“飛來橫財”。 此消息不脛而走之后,有些人甚至趕來取走了數(shù)千英鎊。 事件發(fā)生在英國漢普郡利明頓附近的富裕小鎮(zhèn)米爾福德,前來取款的居民們迅速排起了長隊。 在兩小時的故障時間里約有200名顧客取走現(xiàn)金。隨后警方趕到現(xiàn)場,關(guān)閉了這臺ATM機(jī)。 警方還通過推特發(fā)布了關(guān)閉故障ATM機(jī)的消息。 消息說:“如果你接到電話,稱匯豐銀行在米爾福德鎮(zhèn)的一臺ATM機(jī)發(fā)生了故障,可以多取錢,那么對不起大家我們已經(jīng)趕到那里了?!?/p> “如果你故意從ATM機(jī)中多取錢,那么銀行可能會以欺詐罪追究你的責(zé)任。” 但匯豐銀行表示,他們不會追討多支付的錢,因為錯在銀行。 銀行的一位發(fā)言人說,這不是顧客的錯。 他說:“機(jī)器的分發(fā)功能出錯了,我們不會要求顧客返還現(xiàn)金,這當(dāng)然不是顧客的責(zé)任。” 還有一位不愿透露姓名的當(dāng)?shù)厝苏f:“有些人拿來五六張銀行卡取錢,每張都可以多取走300英鎊?!?/p> “起初大家都很高興,但當(dāng)有人想加塞兒時,場面也一度失控?!?/p> 26歲的詹姆斯?朱厄爾-海茲頓說:“太滑稽了,越來越多的人趕過來?!彼?dāng)時在隔壁的一家外賣酒水商店工作。 “絕大部分是中年人,也有一些孩子騎車趕來,我猜他們拿的是家長的銀行卡。但當(dāng)警察趕來后,人們很高興地散開了。我敢保證鎮(zhèn)子上的酒吧當(dāng)晚生意相當(dāng)好?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: windfall: 意外的收獲,意外之財 bonanza: 致富之源,意想不到的幸運 jovial: 愉快的 off license: 外賣酒水商店,允許賣酒但不允許顧客在店內(nèi)飲酒 |