Bank of Ireland has warned customers that if they withdraw funds from ATMs their accounts will still be debited, after it emerged that some people with very low balances were able to take out euros in cash following an IT failure.
An Garda Siochana – Ireland’s national police force – said it was aware of an “unusual volume of activity” at various cash points across the country, following reports of people queuing up to take out money.
The gardai also added that it was aware of problems relating to Bank of Ireland’s online issues, after the bank’s app went down.
Reports emerged that officers were standing guard around some ATMs, after videos began to circulate of lengthy queues forming around Dublin, Limerick and Dundalk.
A Bank of Ireland spokesman told the PA news agency: “We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds – including over their normal limits – this money will be debited from their account.
“While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn.”
The gardai sought to “remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking”.
A spokesman for Revolut – an online bank – said it was “looking into” claims that excess funds from Bank of Ireland accounts had been transferred into the accounts of its customers.
According to the Irish Independent, a fault with the online app enabled people who reportedly had no money in their account to transfer up to €500 into a Revolut account.
Bank of Ireland has said it does not yet have a time for its mobile app and web service to be back up and running.
When users open the app, they are informed that they are unable to connect, while the web service 365Online also doesn’t have an expected time to be back online.
The bank has informed its customers that its technical specialists are working to solve the issue as a “high priority”.
Customers have reported having no access to their accounts for hours as well as being unable to transfer funds for “important payments”.
Apologising to customers, Bank of Ireland said: “We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties.
“We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The bank also admitted that some customers were having problems taking cash out from ATMs.
Just before 10pm on Tuesday, the bank said that it did not “have an ETA” for the restoration of services.
