Ontario Man Says He’s Lost $3,000 After Accidentally Sending Money to the Wrong Person via a Banking App

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An Ontario man says he’s lost $3,000 after he accidentally transferred funds to the wrong account using his banking app – Scotiabank.

Brampton man Percival Plummer said he was trying to transfer a roofer the next part of a deposit for work being done on his house when he made the mistake.

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He said on June 2, he logged onto his banking app and attempted to send the funds to his roofer, whose name is Andre.

Without noticing, he said he clicked on a different contact on his phone with an almost identical first name and transferred the funds.

“I typed in ‘Andre,’ Plummer told the media in Toronto. “I didn’t realize it was the other name that came up and I hit send.”

He said he did not think anything of it till later that day when the repairman told him he didn’t receive the funds.

Plummer said when he checked the app, he realized his error straight away and went to his closest Scotiabank branch.

At the branch, Plummer said he was told the money could be reversed, but he had to call the customer support line.

“I called them right away,” he said. “And they said there is nothing they could do for me.”

The recipient of the funds was using a banking feature called auto-deposit, meaning when Plummer sent the funds it went directly into the account without the individual having to answer a security question.

Plummer said he has also called Peel Police, but he was told due to the fact that he was the one who initiated the transfer, there is nothing to investigate.

In an email to the media, a Scotiabank spokesperson said they could not comment on Plummer’s case specifically for privacy reasons, but did gave a warning to people sending money online.

“We encourage all customers to use caution and conduct proper due diligence when verifying and confirming electronic money transfers sent to other parties,” Scotiabank said in a statement.

“(This includes) carefully reviewing notifications regarding auto deposit activated by the transaction recipient.”

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?

Plummer said his family has made several attempts to call the individual who received the money, but that has been without success.

He said that whereas he does not know the recipient, he may have sent them funds in the past via volunteer work at his place of worship.

“I must have done some kind of transaction through church. I don’t know the person,” Plummer said.

Plummer, who has served as a custodian for the Peel-Dufferin Catholic School Board for the past 17 years, said the situation has left him barely able to sleep.

He said he accepts that he made the mistake, but believes there should be a way for him to get his funds back.

“I get upset every time I think about this,” Plummer said. “I’m $3,000 out the window. That’s more than I work for in a month.”

“I need that money.”