Sending money to someone and realizing that you transferred the funds to the wrong account can be incredibly stressful. While this scenario may be rare, it can catch people off guard, and getting the money back isn’t always easy.
Digital transfers move funds within seconds, which is why a deliberate 30-second review of any bank transaction is worth it.
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The details to verify before sending money
You will have to provide the bank account and full routing number when transferring funds, so it is a good idea to check the entire number instead of the last four digits. Payment apps don’t always require that information, but you can still verify the recipient’s phone number, email address, username and profile information. Some scammers attempt to look similar to someone else in an attempt to take money from victims.
Some people place the decimal in the wrong location, which can result in a substantially different transfer amount. Currencies, fees and the amount of money that will be transferred are also worth checking. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) warns that you can lose your transferred money for good if any of these details are entered incorrectly.
If you are on the phone with a recipient, ask them to repeat payment details as you enter them instead of relying on your memory to recall entire account numbers. For large, first-time transfers, you may want to send a small test payment if it’s your first one. After receiving verification that it went through and the recipient shared the correct amount that you transferred, you can then proceed with the entire transfer.
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What to do immediately after spotting a mistake
If you enter inaccurate information when doing a financial transaction and move the wrong amount of funds or send your money to the wrong person, immediately contact the bank, payment app or transfer provider. You have to act quickly on this since digital transfers go through right away.
Pending and scheduled transfers may still be canceled, but completed transfers cannot be canceled. Your bank can try to recover the funds if it was fraudulent, but this must take place quickly.
Recovering a transfer is not guaranteed, but you can save the confirmation number, screenshots, communication and other details involving your request. If you know the recipient well, you can ask them to send the money back to you, but if that’s not the case, you may have to file a complaint with your bank. You should also contact the CFPB to report fraud if applicable.
Your rights depend on how the money was sent
If you personally approved the transfer, it’s often more difficult to get your money back, especially if it was a genuine error without any fraud involved. It’s also more complicated for international remittance transfers since they have specific federal error-resolution rules.
It can be easier to get your money back during an unauthorized transaction, but that’s not the same thing as getting scammed. Financial institutions interpret scams as a consumer actively making the decision to move their funds to the scammer. An unauthorized transaction involves money being moved without your signoff.
In all cases, you should immediately contact your bank and provide the recipient’s name, amount and transaction details. Getting in touch with your bank within minutes of the money transfer can increase the likelihood of receiving your funds back (and it may be better to call than send an email for a quicker response). You can consider filing a CFPB complaint if you cannot resolve the issue with your bank.
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