All news

Man from northern Russia faces prison term for taking advantage of ATM mistake

The man withdrew $2,000 from a machine that gave him dollars instead of rubles

MURMANSK, October 17. /TASS/. A man from the northern Russian city of Severomorsk was charged with theft after he decided to take advantage of an ATM that mistakenly dispensed US dollars instead of rubles, local prosecutors have said.

According to the prosecutors, cash-in-transit employees in Severomorsk have mistakenly loaded $100-dollar notes into a box for 500-ruble notes.

Therefore, when a local resident tried to withdraw 500 rubles (about $7.6 at the current exchange rate) from his account, he got a $100-note instead.

He then repeated the operation for about 20 times, withdrawing a dollar equivalent of about 135,000 rubles ($2,000) in total.

"The prosecutors have established that the criminal case… on charges of theft (or secret misappropriation of property) has been launched on legitimate grounds," the statement said. "The above-mentioned crime is punishable with a prison term of up to two years.".