What to do if you find money in the ATM?
You walk nonchalantly towards the vending machine, as you usually do. But that day, surprise, you find that the slot is filled with tickets. Normal human reaction: looking taken aback, you turn your head from side to side, and you almost wonder if it’s not a hidden camera. No no, it’s real, it’s not a joke. And, by the way, it happens even more often than you think. Good, the time to recover from your emotions, it is now necessary to act. Some would say: “I found it, it’s mine”. Sorry to disappoint you, but that would be too good to be true. It is obvious that this sum of money does not belong to you. And, in the eyes of the law, you have an obligation to return it to its owner. There’s no need to procrastinate, it’s written in black on white. According to Article 2278 of the Civil Code: A person who has lost or stolen a thing may claim it for three years from the day of the loss or theft, once morest the person in whose hands he finds it. “. Also, whatever the amount found, you must give it in full, either directly to the person concerned (if they are still around), at the police station or at the bank. You have 24 hours to donate this money. Attention, it’s very serious, if you don’t fulfill this task, you will be in the illegality and you risk big (1 year of imprisonment and a fine going up to 1500 euros). And, to reassure you, do not forget to ask for a receipt attesting to your good faith to clear you of any responsibility.
Good to know : since it is very complicated to find the rightful owner of the money yourself, the best thing to do is to notify the bank branch, since they review all the operations carried out at the ATMs on a daily basis.
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Money forgotten at the ATM, what to do?
You are in front of the counter, you have dialed your code and claimed the desired amount. But suddenly your cell phone rings and you pick it up immediately. In the heat of the moment, distracted by this call, you completely forget to remove your tickets from the slot. It’s not common, but no one is perfect, it can happen. Already, rest assured, unless there is a technical problem, the machine is programmed to swallow the unrecovered money following a period of time (20 to 30 seconds). This is precisely what prevents the next person from falling on it! So once you hang up and realize the tickets aren’t in your hands or in the vending machine, what then? It’s not complicated, if the bank is open, go inside to calmly explain your situation. Present the transaction receipt directly to the employees to try to resolve this setback as soon as possible. Ouch, the bank is closed? Don’t worry: all you have to do is call the bank that issued your card, but also the organization that owns the ATM where you carried out your transaction. Hopefully, if the two match, you will be able to file a claim containing the following information: cardholder contact details, transaction details, and reason for declining/disputing the transaction.
So, we will try to explain the process a little better to you. ATMs automatically record every transaction. But it is always safer to check the transactions on your account to see if the amount has been credited or not. If the chargeback is missing, you should contact your bank as soon as possible, as it can get complicated if the next customer goes to the counter immediately following you. So let’s recap: if you somehow left money in an ATM, don’t panic, stay calm and follow the procedure. On site, you must directly note the time of your transaction and the details of the bank branch. If the bank does not recredit your money on its own at the time, failing that, you can request a transfer. Except that very often, and this is quite legitimate, some banks need proof. But there is no need to worry. Normally the ATM has a built-in camera and fortunately the recording can prove that the banknotes were indeed forgotten in the ATM slot. So your honesty will not be questioned!
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Money forgotten and stolen from an ATM
Although the law severely punishes thieves, you should be warned, you are not immune to a possible theft. If you forget your tickets in the counter, and you leave hastily, there is no guarantee that the next person will not put it in their pocket! But nowadays, with all the surveillance cameras pointed at us, customers are still better protected. In other words, your money is not necessarily lost. If the potential “thief” is a bank customer himself, he will be caught red-handed and this is a great boon for you. Because, if he pockets your money, the video surveillance will not miss him and he will be easily identifiable. The bank will then take steps to settle this dispute. Either way, to avoid all the stress and paperwork that comes with it, we urge you to stay alert and collect your tickets the second they come out of the machine.
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