Pretoria ATM issues foreign currency

The puzzling appearance of a foreign banknote at a local ATM has almost cost a woman R100, Pretoria East Rekord reports.

This happened about three weeks ago when Natalie Human, 92, withdrew money from an ATM in Silverton, east of Pretoria.

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Human said she withdrew R1 500 from the machine, upon which it dispensed R1 400 and a strange banknote, to the value of 1 000 Iranian Rial (about 30 cents in South African currency).

The words “Islamic Republic of Iran Bank Markazi Iran Bank” were printed on the note.

Natalie Human (92) hold the foreign note that was dispensed at an ATM machine.

“I didn’t immediately notice this until I handed the money to my son. He brought the strange note to my attention,” she said.

Human said she tried to lay a complaint at the Nedbank branch where the ATM is installed, but received little help.

She visited the bank four times, and on two occasions was told that she would be contacted, said Human.

“The second time the manager responded that he had my son’s numbers and that he was attending to the matter,” she said.

“Then I went back the third time, and the manager was unavailable, and I was told that to come back.”

Human said she had been banking with the Nedbank branch at Silverton for about 50 years, and was not happy with the service she got.

“I just want my R100 back,” she said.

Nedbank spokesperson Sharda Naidoo said an internal investigation into how the note ended up in the machine was launched after the matter was brought to the bank’s attention.

Naidoo said that was the first mishap of its kind at a Nedbank ATM.

“In terms of the client getting foreign currency at an ATM, this is a first for Nedbank,” she said.

“We will be reimbursing our client with the R100 she did not receive from the ATM.”

She said the bank’s ATM operations unit would put measures in place to ensure this did not happen again.

“We apologise to our client for the inconvenience.”

Human said she only heard from the bank after it had been contacted by Pretoria East Rekord.

The current exchange rate is 3 159.04 Iranian Rial to the Rand.

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