Bancomer ATMs in at least three states malfunctioned yesterday, sending bank notes flying and prompting the bank to shut down the service.

In one case, a man went to withdraw cash from a bank machine in Tijuana when it began dispensing 500-peso notes. But the time it had finished, it had issued 75,000 pesos’ worth, about US $3,900.

The man found a police officer and the money was turned over to the state prosecutor’s office to be returned to the bank.

In Guanajuato, an ATM located in a Bancomer branch in the historic centre of Guanajuato city also spat out 500-peso notes.

Then the same thing happened to an ATM Centro Max mall in the city of León. As a customer was withdrawing cash from one machine, another began throwing out 500-peso bills.

Private security guards later told authorities that the customer slipped some of the notes into a backpack but municipal police apprehended the man shortly after in the mall’s parking lot.

Another Bancomer machine went berserk in Xalisco, Nayarit. A customer was making a withdrawal when the machine he was using started giving away more cash than he had requested.

He reported the incident to authorities, indicating that two more people were using ATMs at the same time and seized the moment by taking some of the free money before municipal police arrived.

There have been unconfirmed reports that the bank was hacked.

Meanwhile, by 5:00pm yesterday dissatisfied customers were complaining to Bancomer because none of its ATMs were operating. The newspaper El Universal confirmed that machines throughout León were not operating, a situation that continued at least until midnight.

Source: El Universal (sp), El Sol de Nayarit (sp), NBC (en)