Essentially, the suspect's balance was only debited for the amount he requested, yet he gleefully received four times that amount from the helpless machine.
Bank of Ireland has apologised for the error and said it had enhanced procedures for handling "all such incomplete transactions so that customers accounts will not be debited".
It sends a message to your pager every time your credit or ATM card is debited, your front door unlocked or your television set or any other consumer appliance switched on.
When I learned about the upcoming moon landing, I asked someone in a position of authority if it would be possible for me to order my own copy of The Times (which cost 10 cents) covering this piece of history and have the money debited from my candy account at the camp store.