An ATM SOS
Visited an ATM recently? While cash-on-hand is always a plus, electronic payment has made trips to the bank a thing of the past for many. Nearly archaic too, are the pesky receipts long resigned to the bottoms of purses, wallet pockets and nearby trash cans without so much as a glance from its hurried recipient.
It’s not difficult to imagine then, the surprise of several Bank of America customers from Corpus Christi, Texas, when the receipts they received from an ATM slot were actually pleas for help. “Please help. I’m stuck in here and I don’t have my phone,” one handwritten note read.
Despite several such messages pushed through the slot, most bankers assumed it was a “Candid Camera” — or for younger readers, “Punk’d” — type of prank to which no one wanted to fall victim and simply walked away.
A victim there was, however. A technician repairing the locking mechanism of the bank’s vault room door became trapped when the door closed behind him and locked him in, sans phone. To add to the calamity, the bank was closed for construction – ergo, there were no employees inside to help either.
After three hours went by, one customer took a note seriously enough to summon help. The police officer, equally skeptical of the message, approached the ATM and when he listened closely, could hear a faint sound.
Though the successful withdrawal only took minutes, the repairman’s anguish over the situation lasted much longer. So the next time you pull out some cash at the ATM, double check the receipt. You might get more than just a Benjamin — you could be saving a Tom, Dick or Harry!
