If you decide to accidentally leave someone else’s money transferred to your card, you run the risk of getting into trouble. Depending on the amount of the transfer and the circumstances of the transaction, this may result in fines or criminal prosecution. Lawyer Ekaterina Antonova, managing partner of the Antonova and Partners Bar Association of the Krasnodar Territory, told socialbites.ca.
“The first consequence is a fine or criminal sanction in case of theft or seizure of someone else’s property. If the person who sent the money contacts the police or proves in court that the transfer was made by mistake or fraud and you refuse to return the money, you may be prosecuted under Articles 158 and 160 of the Criminal Code. “The size of the fine or prison sentence will depend on how much money was stolen or misappropriated and whether the sender of the money or third parties were harmed or injured,” he explained.
The second consequence is that the card or account is blocked or hijacked.
The lawyer warned, “If the bank servicing your card detects that it has received money that does not belong to you, it may block or seize your card or account until the circumstances are clarified.”
According to Antonova, there are several reasons why your card may be receiving money that is not intended for you. The most common is sender error. Another reason is fraud.
“For example, a fraudster may transfer money to you from a stolen or counterfeit card and then ask you to return the money to another account or send them cash. A fraudster may also use your card as an intermediate step in laundering the proceeds of crime. In this case, money can be transferred to your card from different sources and then withdrawn to other accounts,” said the lawyer.
If you find a transfer on your card that you do not recognize, the first thing you should do is find out who this transfer is from.
“If you determine that money has been transferred to your card by mistake or fraud, you are responsible for returning the money to the sender,” he said.
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