Gwinnett man deposited hundreds into a Bank of America ATM -- but it never showed up

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Many people use the self-deposit banking function to place money in our accounts. But what happens when the money you placed in your account does not show?

This is what a Gwinnett County man is wondering after he says hundreds of dollars he deposited never showed up in his account.

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“I was going to pay my phone bill and my credit card bill,” Charlie Harris said.

Harris says he is now behind on those bills.

“I missed the due date,” he told Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln.

He says a Bank of America ATM went haywire when he was attempting to deposit $260 into his checking account.

“I put the $260 in the machine and it started acting up,” Harris said.

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He told Channel 2 that last Friday, he visited an ATM on Greyson Highway in Lawrenceville.

While attempting to use the self-deposit option, he was surprised to see just $20 of the $260 deposited.

Confused, he said he immediately contacted customer service.

When speaking to the Bank of America support, he learned from the security department they’ve had similar complaints from customers in the past about the ATM in question.

“She said that ATM has a history of having, doing bad things, so I’m like ‘What!’” he said.

But Harris says his frustration grew after the bank told him it may take weeks before he can see his money credited while they investigate.

“All y’all have to do is look at the footage,” he said. “How many people are going through this?”

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Channel 2 also found other bankers across the county have dealt with similar ATM deposit errors.

“I know it’s so many people who feel hopeless going through this situation,” he said.

Financial services companies say first thing you should do if an ATM eats your deposit is to contact your bank immediately and note the date and time of the transaction.

Also, it’s suggested to use an ATM at a physical bank, not a free-standing one.

Don’t deposit cash or checks at an out-of-network ATM and use an in-person teller when depositing large amounts.

These are steps Harris says he will follow in the future.

“I feel like you should just go in, you know. It’s not worth going through all the wait,” Harris said.

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