Woman accidentally transfers $2,888 to florist, now she can't get it back

Here's why you should double-check your details the next time you transfer money to another bank account. That is, if you don't want to end up in the same predicament as this woman.

According to a report in Shin Min Daily News on Friday (Feb 10), a woman, identified by her surname Huang, shared how she had accidentally transferred $2,888 to a florist instead of her savings account. She has not been able to get her money back.

Speaking to the Chinese daily, the 54-year-old salesperson explained that she had the habit of transferring part of her salary to a separate savings account every month to avoid overspending.

She did so as usual on Jan 18, only to find out that she had transferred the money to someone else instead.

"It was around 7am that day and I was sitting in the living room transferring money with the lights off," she said.

"I found out I had transferred $2,888 to another person's bank account afterwards," said Huang, who immediately told her son about it.

She contacted the bank on the same day and was told that she had to wait for a week for them to try and contact the other party. She was also told that it could take up to three weeks for the money to be returned to her account.

As the name of the other party wasn't indicated in the bank account, she initially did not know who she had sent the money to. Thanks to help from a friend, she found out later that the account belonged to a florist.

Huang told the Chinese evening daily that she had previously purchased a wreath from the company, and last contacted them in November last year.

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However, the other party didn't answer the phone when she called them.

The woman then texted the company, only for the other party to deny taking the money, saying that she had contacted the wrong person.

"I sent a screenshot of the transaction to her, but she didn't reply," she said.

"And when I tried calling them again afterwards, I couldn't get through."

She added that the bank has so far issued two letters requesting the other party to return the money, but to no avail.

Huang said she is awaiting the bank's instruction as to the next steps she can take. She revealed that she would require a statement from the bank before she is able to make a police report. 

A lawyer whom Shin Min spoke to shared that such incidents, if verified, may be considered theft.

He recommends contacting the bank at the first instance to confirm if the other party had received the money. If so, they will have a legal obligation to return the money wrongly transferred.

Left feeling helpless, Huang said that she's unsure if she will ever get her money back and hoped that the other party would see Shin Min's report and initiate contact with her.

She also reminded the public to be more cautious and to ensure that money is transferred to the right bank account during transactions.

Diner who overpaid by 100 times

Not everyone is as unlucky as Huang though.

Last week, a Facebook post uploaded by a hawker went viral after they attempted to track down an elderly diner who overpaid for a bowl of noodles by 100 times.

Khine Zar Lin, who runs Xiao Mei Ban Mian along Woodlands Drive 50 said that the bowl of noodles was priced at $4.50, but the customer had paid $450 for it by accident.

The post invited many compliments from netizens, who praised Khine for her kindness and integrity.

ALSO READ: Chinese vendor transfers $6,000 to wrong person who then went on spending spree

wongdaoen@asiaone.com

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