to ask whats the maximum sum you would be prepared to write off in this situation

[user09090909E]

if you paid someone some money by mistake, they offered to refund it if you sent them your bank account details but you didn't want to give them your bank account details because you didn't trust them, what's the maximum sum you could live with as the cost of your mistake?

am in exactly this situation and am just thinking of writing it off. but unsure becauase of the amount.

@user09090909E if you really are this paranoid then you can do what has been suggested upthread and use Revolut.

In answer to your original question, £0 is the amount I’d be prepared to lose.

Make them pay into an empty account or move your money

If I owed you money due to a banking mix up and you would not give bank account details and wanted cash I'd think you were trying to scam me as you could claim I hadn't paid you as the money would not be visible in your account. I'd value the visibility of a bank transfer.

How did you send the money? Any chance of recalling it that way?

I wouldn't be happy to write anything off particularly. Also curious as to how you accidentally do it (have sent payments from my account and there's always a lot of 'are you sure?' and 'this could be a scam' if 1 letter is out of place).

You sent someone money by mistake. Why do you think they are not trustworthy? They could have just kept the money.

Depending on who you bank with, you might be able to send a link from your banking app that the other person can then use to make a payment to you, without sharing your details.

NatWest you certainly can anyway.

ManyMaybes · Today 12:23
Why would someone launder money into your account where it is then not accessible to them?

As part of a fraud. There are many ways to get it out but one way is to contact the recipient with a fake story about mistake payment asking them to pay it back but they can keep £1000 or whatever sum for their trouble - so create an innocent money mule.

They will often specifically target people who they can identify have or are likely to have money trouble.

www.experian.co.uk/blogs/latest-thinking/guide/money-mules/

Money laundering - paying money into your account without your consent
Like you did to them??? Maybe they just want to return the money as you're a stranger to them and they're worried about the same thing!

If you want your money back send them your back acc number.

If I was this paranoid, and wasn't prepared to do something as simple as setting up an alternative account with the likes for Chase if I was so unjustifiably scared of giving my regular account details, then I'd just have to write off all my money I guess.
I'm very fraud aware, especially through my work, and wouldn't think twice about this.
Presumably they weren't worried about money laundering when you put money in their account uninvited?!

This is a frustrating thread. 😅 I wish OP would give more details.

The fact that you can't see this is exactly what you're doing is 😵‍💫

But you want them to pay you money so they are hardly laundering. ( Mind you the person you paid the money to buy mistake could think that's what you are going) . As for pretending to be your bank as they have your details. Well if you are foolish enough to fall for that rather than tell them you will sort whatever on the app/ in branch etc then it's your own fault. I've have scammers try and tell me stuff about my account is compromised. I merely tell them I will check online or phone the bank myself and hang up

Set up DD. Don't you check your accounts? And my bank generally lets me know if a DD has been set up. If one was taken through fraud then the DD guarantee comes into force

If you want the money back then just give your bloody bank details. If not then don't but remember the saying " a fool and his money are soon parted"

If this happened, you ignore them and contact your bank's fraud department and Action Fraud or whoever the right organisation is.

What's the problem OP? Do you not trust yourself to not do what a fraudster asks you to do?

Every time I send money to another account, including those that are mine, I have to answer about a dozen questions about whether I'm sure I'm not being conned and I wonder how fraud actually happens when people have to go through this every time they send money, but it seems that it might all be to protect people like you from themselves?

@FanSaBhaile

The fact that you can't see this is exactly what you're doing is 😵‍💫

Don't be insane.This was not ££££ nor was I offering a fee nor actually was I asking for a refund. It was not a cold out of the blue payment.

You accidentally sent money to a random person and you now assume this random person is some sort of money laundering, identity stealing criminal. What are the chances that you managed to pick such a person at random?

You give your bank details to all sorts of companies without worrying about it, why panic about this honest soul trying to give your money back. As others have said use a paypal account if you are really that worried.

You're worried about money laundering? You wouldn't notice huge sums going into your account for no reason and from people you don't know? And how would they get it out again without your account login details, your card details or fake ID with your name and address?

There's absolutely nothing they can do with your bank details other than pay money in.

It's risk-free.

Are you too young to remember cheques OP? When you give someone a cheque it has your sort code and account number on it so not sure what use it’d be to a scammer.
It’s your pin that you need to be careful with.

FFS just set up a PayPal account if you think the worst will happen if this incredibly untrustworthy person gets their grubby hands on your bank details.
https://www.paypal.com

Otherwise write the whole debt off, more fool you.

Interesting post OP, and I would have said there was no risk either so I'm glad to be enlightened!

To answer your question, I guess I'd probably write off £100 if I was worried.

I'd probably ask them to send it me via PayPal if I didn't want them to have any account details.

Or an Amazon gift card equivalent?

But none of these things work if your not a complete fucking moron that lives under a rock. Your talking about Nigerian prince level scams which unless you are vulnerable aren't a risk. The very fact you are attempting to explain it means you understand it and thus wouldn't fall for it.

My husband works in fraud at a big bank, trust me this isn't really an issue... most fraud cases is gamblers spending all their money then claiming it was someone else or people buying porn and insisting it wasn't them (all easily traceable and provable).

Other than that a lot of it is just money getting lost within the system, you would be amazed how often he finds hundred of thousands just sat not assigned to any account (usually from large mortgage closing pay offs etc...) and has to figure out who it belongs to and where it was actually suppose to go to.

If you are that worried, open a new bank account with your existing bank (should take a few minutes tops), send the person the new account details & when theyve paid the money in withdraw it and then shut that account. Simples

@FeatherBoas

You accidentally sent money to a random person and you now assume this random person is some sort of money laundering, identity stealing criminal. What are the chances that you managed to pick such a person at random?

I never said it was accidentally sending money to a random person - that's come from you. I said I paid someone some money by mistake.

The risk isn't that they are a criminal but about criminal access. What it boils down to is for reasons I have given you shouldn't give your bank account number and sort code to people you don't trust - especially by sending it electronically so it is sitting on their phone or in their email accounts.

It's not that controversial a proposition that you should be very cautious about who you give your bank account details to.

I really don't think a money launderer would send money anywhere than into the account of an entity they were colluding with for the laundering of money.

The only thing I can think of where your bank account details on their own could be misused would be to set up a direct debit but if it were used then you'd be covered by the Direct Debit guarantee so any monies would be returned without quibble.

I have occasionally to ask people for their bank details through my work - I can issue charitable grants. More than once I've had people start to read out the 16 digit number and then come over reticent about the account number and sort code.