A Woman Refused to Return the $50,000 the Bank Accidentally Wired Her Because “They Had No Grounds.” She Already Did Her Due Diligence and Was the Rightful Owner of the Money

This woman shared a life-changing experience that happened to her when she was in her 20s on TikTok. She would’ve never thought that her life would change overnight, but $50,000 later, it did!

Life-Changing Experience

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OP (Original Poster) was in her 20s when her life changed because of a bank mishap! Years after it happened, she turned to TikTok to share her experiences with everyone.

She has some pretty advice everyone should remember in case something similar ever happens! OP shared, “$50,000 is the amount of money that a Credit Union that I used to be a part of accidentally wired me to my bank account when I was in my 20s. I can go ahead and skip to the good part, which is I didn’t go to jail, and I didn’t do anything wrong. And I was able to keep the money—every penny. ”

Going Through the Mail

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One day, OP was going through her mail in her bedroom. She had already been wiring money because she knew she would live in the area she was currently staying in.

She shared, “We were kind of using that account for things that we were going to be doing together once I moved from Alabama to St. Louis.”

Why Do I Have $50,000?

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One of the mails she opened was a “wire confirmation.” She said that, back then, banks weren’t sending emails for bank or fund transfers.

The mail indicated a wire confirmation for $49,700! OP stood there, frozen; she didn’t know what this money was all about.

Thoughts Running Through Her Head

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Since she didn’t know where the money was from, her brain started cooking up all sorts of nasty scenarios. OP shared, “I was like, oh my God, somebody is trying to set me up. I started running through my mind like everyone who it could possibly be that sent me this money.”

One of the people that popped into her head was a friend that was gambling at that time. She thought that it might be possible that her friend had sent her the money.

Shady Manager

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Apart from her friend, OP also suspected her manager at work. She shared that she worked at an apartment complex, and the manager was “kind of shady.”

She shared, “So I’m like, is he trying to hide money and send it to me? I literally called them; I was just like, ‘Hey, how you doing? Did you send me any money to my bank account?’ And they’re like, ‘No.’”

Calling the Bank

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OP had run out of suspects at this point, so she immediately called the bank. She explained that she got a wire notification.

OP knew the money had been sitting in her account for a while, probably two or three days. Things “weren’t as sophisticated then,” so she only found out about the money when she received the mail.

No Mistake

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As she was talking to the person from the bank, she explained that the $49,700 wasn’t hers because she only had around $1,500 in that account.

However, the bank confirmed her account number and name and told her that there wasn’t anything wrong with their records. Even when she firmly told her the money wasn’t hers, the bank “insisted there was no mistake.”

What Would a Lawyer Say?

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After talking to the bank, she found a lawyer. She asked, “What am I supposed to do with this money? What are my rights? What is the law?”

The lawyer then advised, “Report it again, document everything, and don’t touch any of the money for 30 days.” He also told OP to post it somewhere public, like a newspaper, and “if they don’t claim it, then it’s yours.”

What She Did

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OP followed the lawyer’s instructions to a T.

She shared, “That’s exactly what happened. The bank refused to admit that they made a mistake. ”

What Happened to the Money?

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In the end, OP got to keep every penny of the money accidentally wired to her. She did her due diligence, and the money was now all hers.

What Did She Spend It On?

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OP shared that she bought a house with the money. Then, she bought a second house which she flipped.

She also bought a car and lived off the rest of the money. OP wrote, “I mean, I was working full time; I was making like $31,000 a year. I was working at this place called Beyond Housing in St. Louis. And it took me about a year and a half to spend all the money.”

Give It Back!

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Months after OP started using the money, the bank contacted her again, asking her to return it.

However, she refused to do so. She said, “They didn’t have any grounds!”

What the Community Thinks

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TikTokers were envious of what had happened to OP. Some were even wishing they were as blessed as she was!

One said, “I need this kind of luck in my life!” Another wrote, “I work in wire transfers at a bank and always wondered what happened on the other end with these errors, lol. You were definitely blessed!”

Not Uncommon

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It seemed the same thing happened with other TikTokers, and some shared their own experiences.

“Happened to me. I was transferred $16,000,” shared one woman. For some, though they accidentally got wired money, too, they were usually asked to return it.

Smart Move

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TikTokers also commended OP for doing the smart—and the right—thing, even if the bank refused to be accountable for their mistake.

One said, “Smart to have sought legal advice.” Another commented, “Return the money? But at the same time, they said it wasn’t a mistake? They crazy!”

How lucky do you think OP is? What would you do if this happened to you?

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This post first appeared as She Refused to Return the $50,000 the Bank Accidentally Wired Her Because “They Had No Grounds.” She Already Did Her Due Diligence and Was the Rightful Owner of the Money on Quote Ambition.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.