Mysterious payment

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

So £500 has appeared in my bank account today. It is showing in a current account that I only use to pay bills. I have literally no idea where it came from. The bank say it was an electronic payment but cannot tell me anything about where it came from. It has an 11 digit reference beginning with a 7 and no other information.

I've asked family members. I've searched for the reference number. I've checked everything I can think of. I have no idea where it came from! Ideas?

[Carolofthebellies]

Mystery solved then! 👍 Nice cashback as well.

[AlwaysLatte]

Oh sorry, after all that I saw your update! 😂 glad it was legit and happy spending!

[AlwaysLatte]

Could be a scam that got interrupted? Check any other accounts aren't missing £500. We had this a few years ago. We were having trouble with our internet speed and phoned BT. They said they'd look into it and call us back. 20 mins later they rang back and said they'd need to check it from our end and asked us to go onto our laptop and download something so that they could have a look. We did that, and it was all VERY convincing. Then at the end they said they would give us a payment of £100 as a gesture of goodwill toward the days we'd had of poor line speed. They asked us to check our bank online to check the payment had gone through, which we did, and there was £3000 not £100. They said they'd made an error and overpaid us and could we transfer the money back to them. We got suspicious and said we'd end the call and phone the bank, and sure enough one of our other accounts was light by £3000. We'd never have got suckered in normally but at the time that was a newish scam and we had called BT ourselves so were more open (we think someone within BT was in league with the scammer).

[BikeRunSki]

Happy days!

[Almostslimjim]

Yay! Good for you OP.

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

Mystery solved! We just got a mortgage. It was cash back deal that I forgot about! In my defence the Ts and Cs were sent to me in August! Which means the money is ours to keep. Happy days!

[JovialNickname]

Send it to me, I'll examine it and let you know

[MyNameHasBeenTaken]

No reference to paym?
The mobile phone number transfer thing?
Mobile number is 11 digits, starting with 07

[letsnotscaretheneighbours]

Might be worth checking your credit file using a free one like credit karma. At least then it'll give you peace of mind its not someone fraudulently using your details

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

None of the above and still no clue where the money came from. Maybe Santa really is real.......?

[BamboozledandBefuddled]

Reference number on a V5 (car log book) is 11 digits - are you due a refund of any kind from DVLA?

[Rents]

Do you play the lottery online and linked to that bank account? When you win a prize from a previously won ‘lucky dip’ it appears as a mystery fund. I’ve had for £30 though, never £500!

[SlippersForFlippers]

Have you tried googling the reference number.

I got £30 in my account once and searched the reference, found out it was from the lottery as I play online. The email notification had gone to an old email address so I didn't know it was going to be paid in.

[MrsDThomas]

Could it be a grant for Covid? Councils pay them (firebreaks etc) and it could well be for you or a mistake in account numbers and but meant for you.

[cautiouscovidity]

If you've checked using a mobile app, try using the full desktop web browser as sometimes there's more reference info than the on the app (depending on your bank).
Then try Googling the reference?

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

@Vitaminsss yep I searched online and also my emails. Nothing

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

@TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER

Have you ever had a Barclaycard? They are currently making compensation payments to customers who may have been given a credit limit that was too high. They’re refunding certain charges and then paying compensation.
I had a mysterious payment of £75 last week for this, figured it out and then received my letter telling me about it at the weekend,
I was a bit gutted as it said the average payout was around £500 but still happy with a bonus £75 the week before Christmas

Is it bad that I am not sure?!

I have very good credit and I tend to change card ever 18-24 months to get 0% interest. Over the years I've had various cards but I don't think I have had barclaycard. Are any other credit card companies doing this?

[Bargebill19]

FYI. Insurance payouts come by cheque with an email or telephone call to warn you.
We’ve just had a claim in the last fortnight paid this way, and in October.

[movingonup20]

Wait 24-48 hours and more info may appear on the listing

[Vitaminsss]

@TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER ooo what is your “high” credit limit? Wondering if I am eligible

[Vitaminsss]

Have you searched the reference number online?

[TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER]

Have you ever had a Barclaycard? They are currently making compensation payments to customers who may have been given a credit limit that was too high. They’re refunding certain charges and then paying compensation.
I had a mysterious payment of £75 last week for this, figured it out and then received my letter telling me about it at the weekend,
I was a bit gutted as it said the average payout was around £500 but still happy with a bonus £75 the week before Christmas

[Carolofthebellies]

My first step was to call the bank but they seemed very uninterested!

Can't believe the banks are so uninterested in it. We are using their services.

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

@Rainbowshine

Have you made any insurance claims? Could it be a refunded excess if the money was reclaimed from another party (had this with car insurance when other party had to pay my excess for me as part of the settlement between insurers).

No insurance claims.

[shouldhavecalleditoatabix]

@NEE1302

HMRC reference numbers are 11 digits. Do you complete a self-assessment at all? Are you due a tax refund?

I'm PAYE and have never done a tax return. Never had a rebate and surely that would show a reference of sorts?