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Original poster

Money appeared in my bank account

288 replies

AlexaShutUp · 08/01/2022 12:11

Just under £3k has mysteriously appeared in our joint bank account. Dh knows nothing about it. Neither do I.

I will talk to the bank on Monday, but in the meantime, I'm speculating. Could this be something dodgy or a genuine mistake?

It's an Internet transfer from a bank in Swansea. Confused

OP posts:
Electriq · 08/01/2022 17:34

You hear about this so much lately, hope its all sorted quickly OP.

MadameFantabulosa · 08/01/2022 17:38

@EishetChayil hardly a woman of valour with that suggestion, that she keep the money and close the account.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 08/01/2022 17:50

Just tos say that even though you now put the account name in as well as the sort code and account number, it doesn't necessarily match the two. I had some work done in the garden before Christmas, the guy banked with Metro bank and my bank (Smile) couldn't match the details. I asked him to reconfirm them before I confirmed the transaction, it was ok. That's the only time though - every other bank seems to work.

But it does mean it could still be a simple error.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General money
skodadoda · 08/01/2022 18:00

@CaptainCarp

I'd assume someone has changed a digit & transferred you money for a car sale or something by mistake. Check with the bank & just don't spend it!
This does happen but to deal with it safely call your bank’s helpline and go through the press with them.
ShrinkingViolet9 · 08/01/2022 18:01

[quote AuntyBumBum]@AuntyBumBum

Clearly not a scam! No scam artist is going to risk £30, never mind £3k. And if you return it without the worst case scenario is that the scam man has his money back, and your bank details. Which he already had in order to send you the money!

@ShrinkingViolet9
See:

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/scammers-paid-1000-account-told-15853749

"...I decided to check my online statement to see if there were any other purchases I should be worried about and I found that £1,000 had been deposited in my account by a pay day loan company.

"I started to panic, for a second I thought my partner may have taken it out as a loan and that maybe we were in serious financial trouble. This was fortunately not the case and he was just as clueless as I was as to where the money had come from."

I'm not convinced at all by this! How does the OP's "scammer" guarantee they will get their £30k back? Hmm[/quote]
The OP said the amount was just under £3K - not £30K.

ShrinkingViolet9 · 08/01/2022 18:12

@JuergenSchwarzwald

Just tos say that even though you now put the account name in as well as the sort code and account number, it doesn't necessarily match the two. I had some work done in the garden before Christmas, the guy banked with Metro bank and my bank (Smile) couldn't match the details. I asked him to reconfirm them before I confirmed the transaction, it was ok. That's the only time though - every other bank seems to work.

But it does mean it could still be a simple error.

Natwest cannot always confirm a match, for example, the name of a well known regional building society could not be confirmed as a match with the sort code and account number during the payee name check process, when initially setting up a new payee and using the exact details as provided by the building society.
ShrinkingViolet9 · 08/01/2022 18:16

"Natwest cannot always confirm a match, for example, the name of a well known regional building society could not be confirmed as a match with the sort code and account number during the payee name check process, when initially setting up a new payee and using the exact details as provided by the building society."

In this situation, I transferred a small amount of money first and checked that it had successfully transferred. I've also had a local long established limited company whose business name could not be matched via the the payee name check process.

ShrinkingViolet9 · 08/01/2022 18:44

Just to clarify, I haven't said that I think the OP has received a transfer from a scammer - I think it more likely a bank error or a customer error.

But I posted the Wales Online link as one example of how money can be payed into bank accounts - recruitment of money mules is another.

elelel · 08/01/2022 20:34

@JuergenSchwarzwald

Just tos say that even though you now put the account name in as well as the sort code and account number, it doesn't necessarily match the two. I had some work done in the garden before Christmas, the guy banked with Metro bank and my bank (Smile) couldn't match the details. I asked him to reconfirm them before I confirmed the transaction, it was ok. That's the only time though - every other bank seems to work.

But it does mean it could still be a simple error.

I'm with BOS and if it doesn't match you still have the option to make the transfer. I did it the other week to a guy who's name I had forgotten - he is my Nanna's neighbour and she didn't have any cash to pay for a joint outdoor bill so I offered to bank transfer when I got home.

Nillynally · 08/01/2022 22:55

Shameless follow

MissConductUS · 09/01/2022 13:09

@Nillynally

Shameless follow
Me too. I really want to know where the money came from.
purplesequins · 09/01/2022 14:08

my bank gives a prompt like 'the name doesn't match. do you want to proceed?' (like if you send money to Tony when the account is under Anthony) or 'we cannot check names for this account' when you have to send money to a sub account of a money transfer service.

mdh2020 · 09/01/2022 17:51

It’s part of a scam. Someone will contact you and ask you to give it back but that is the second part of the scam. Talk to your bank and don’t transfer the money to anyone.

CountryMouse22 · 09/01/2022 17:51

This happened to me about 20 years ago and it was also about £3K. I reported it to the bank (Barclays, who were highly disinterested) and just left it there. Relatives said to close account and keep it but that would be theft so I just, well, left it! It disappeared a few months later. This was in the infancy days of internet banking and I was not signed up for it at that time. Didn't even get any interest!

ShrinkingViolet9 · 09/01/2022 18:00

@mdh2020

It’s part of a scam. Someone will contact you and ask you to give it back but that is the second part of the scam. Talk to your bank and don’t transfer the money to anyone.
OP posted an update on Page 5 to say that she has contacted her bank who are now looking into it.
Scorpio85 · 09/01/2022 18:07

Following with interest

PurpleCarpets · 09/01/2022 18:10

@mdh2020

It’s part of a scam. Someone will contact you and ask you to give it back but that is the second part of the scam. Talk to your bank and don’t transfer the money to anyone.
This sounds like a highly unsucessful scam. What happens when you say no?
girlmom21 · 09/01/2022 18:18

@PurpleCarpets there was a poster on here whose husband lost lots of money because when they phoned him pretending to be from the fraud team at his bank they'd duplicated the banks phone number somehow. They'd done something where, once he'd hung up and tried to ring his bank, the call diverted back through to the scammers.

He innocently believed he was talking to his bank, as you would, and gave them all his bank details.

OnTheB · 09/01/2022 18:19

Did you find out where the money come from OP?

Fluffmum · 09/01/2022 18:20

If it’s Santander, they’ve made a massive error in the last few weeks and credited loads of accounts by mistake.

LadyMaid · 09/01/2022 18:33

Shopping time!

Original poster
AlexaShutUp · 09/01/2022 18:35

@OnTheB

Did you find out where the money come from OP?
I am still waiting for an explanation from the bank. The money is still there. The account is still active. They just said they would look into it and get back to me. Confused

I will update when I know more. Sorry for those who are curious...I am curious too!

OP posts:
LILLYPRINT · 09/01/2022 18:36

Had this galen to me ages ago, though not such a large amount. When I called the bank, they admitted it was a fault on their side, the had accepted a payment from a customer but entered a digit incorrectly.

Tal45 · 09/01/2022 18:39

We once saw that £10,000 had been put in and then very shortly after taken back out of our account. Was many years ago now. Probably someone has put in a very slightly wrong number and you've been paid instead of someone else.

PurpleCarpets · 09/01/2022 18:41

[quote girlmom21]@PurpleCarpets there was a poster on here whose husband lost lots of money because when they phoned him pretending to be from the fraud team at his bank they'd duplicated the banks phone number somehow. They'd done something where, once he'd hung up and tried to ring his bank, the call diverted back through to the scammers.

He innocently believed he was talking to his bank, as you would, and gave them all his bank details. [/quote]
I've heard of that. But these "scammers" have put £3,000 in the OP's bank account. The only way they can now recover it is if she falls for the "scam". It's definitely not a scam! (Or if it is would they mind scamming me please?)