Man Buys House with R2.3m Mistakenly Credited to his Account, after 9 Months, Bank Orders Him to Pay it Back
- A 54-year-old man identified as Russell Alexander bought a house after a total of £110,000 (R2.3m) was mistakenly sent into his account
- The granddad had, before buying the house, approached the bank innocently to intimate them of the huge sum that entered his account but was told to keep it
- 9 months later, the bank want the money back and has offered the man £500 (R10 420) as compensation
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On 29 December 2020, a 54-year-old man, Russell Alexander, was stunned to receive a credit alert of £30,000 (R620k) into his account.
The series of mistaken credit transfers continued into the following year to the point that it totalled £110,000 (R2.3m), forcing the grandfather to approach his bank Barclays, England to inform them of the development.
Source: UGC
Timesnow News reports that Russell was told in error by the bank that the money was from an inheritance and that he could keep it.
Armed with the knowledge that the money was direct inheritance funds, Russell bought a house in June.
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The bank orders him to return the money
Barclays bank would later realise their mistake nine months later and ordered the man to pay back the money.
According to DailyMail, the bank admitted that the money was transferred by another person erroneously and that Russell was 'incorrectly advised that he could keep the funds’.
They were able to get back the money from the man's account as he left its equivalent there along with some extra cash.
The bank has gone on to offer him £500 (R10 420) as compensation.
The man laments that the bank has stolen his future plans
The Norfolk resident in the UK, in reacting to the bank's move, said the bank has stolen his future plans and left him like a stowaway.
He said:
"...It made no sense to me when the money just arrived, but I checked with the bank twice and with an accountant - they all said to spend it."
Honest housewife returns R620k mistakenly paid into her account
Earlier, Briefly News reported that Josephine Nchetaka Chukujama Eze has really shown the true meaning of honesty as she returned almost R620 000 that was mistakenly paid into her account.
Her husband, a journalist, and lawyer, Chukujama Eze, disclosed it to News Express as he praised his wife for the virtue she exhibited.
In a letter he addressed to the media, he said that he decided to celebrate her not because it is her birthday but because she did a thing that made him very proud of her.
Source: Briefly News
Stefan Mack (Editor) Stefan Mack is an English and history teacher who has broadened his horizons with journalism. He enjoys experiencing the human condition through the world's media. Stefan keeps Briefly News' readers entertained during the weekend. He graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2010 with a Bachelor of Education (BEd), majoring in History and English. Stefan has been writing for Briefly News for a number of years and has covered mainstream to human interest articles.
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
