BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s central bank instructed local banks on Saturday to promptly refund customers for erroneous charges caused by Apple’s electronic payment service earlier this week, affecting hundreds of thousands of accounts in Hungary.
Approximately 780,000 incorrect charges totaling over 2 billion forints ($5.43 million) were made on Wednesday evening, as reported by the central bank. The incident was attributed to a technical malfunction at Apple’s online store’s international bank card partner.
The National Bank of Hungary’s statement disclosed the extent of the issue, without specifying Apple’s bank card partner. The central bank clarified that the problem was not the result of a cyber attack.
“The NBH is dissatisfied with the current progress and urges financial institutions to initiate immediate reimbursements to clients,” the bank stated.
The central bank criticized Hungarian banks for their sluggish response, deeming it “completely unacceptable,” and urged them to reimburse customers who have not yet applied for compensation.
Apple was unavailable for immediate comment.
The central bank announced plans for a thorough investigation to assess whether Hungarian banks’ handling of complaints and reimbursements following the incident complied with existing regulations.
($1 = 368.58 forints)