Money trasferred to a wrong account...Help!!!

bordy

I have done a huge mistake.
I have transferred the money for my self assesment tax to a wrong account. In the online banking i have mistaken the last digit of the sort code of the HMRC account. The money have gone to a account which appears to be non HMRC account. I have checked the account details on a website (as a new user i can't post links) and it looks like the money have gone to :

Bank
CITIBANK NA
Branch
Hmrc Nico Redir

On the other hand i have already spoke to my bank - Barclays and of course they said it is my mistake and they dont want to take responcibility. Fair enough but i was asking them to help me in contacting the other bank and assist me in getting my money back. They send a letter and said if i dont hear from them again i should search legal advise.
The problem is that they have send the letter to Co-opertive bank is some PO box... It looks like different bank and it doesn't look to me that Barlays really care.

I would apreciate any advise as the amount is substantial... and in the same time HMRC are sending me thretening letters and additional fines..
thank you

thatsean

What's the sort code that you sent the money to? You make reference to the Co-Op, but you have also listed a Citibank account, which was it?

Ultimately this is academic though, as you seem to have given away a large sum of money...

Material_Girl_2

I guess Barclays wouldn't care as it's not their money. I'd contact the bank you send the payment to and see if they can help identify the account and perhaps contact the account holder on your behalf.

Not sure what the legal position is but from a moral perspective the person/company that received your payment in error, should refund the payment to you of course.

Also, make sure that you contact HRMC as soon as you can explaining the situation to make sure you do not run into trouble with them, you really don't need that now!

All the best and hope it gets sorted soon

dzug1

The legal position is you are entitled to your money back

The practical position is that it can be difficult to enforce your legal rights

Jamiej_2

HMRC and all other government agencies, NHS etc have changed/are changing banking arrangements. Google "Office of HM Paymaster General" - sorry new user so can't post link

Material_Girl_2

dzug1 so it would be classed as theft or fraud then if the receiving person refused to pay the money back? Would the OP be able to go to the police/courts etc to claim the money back? Hopefully it won't come to that at all, but interesting to know what actually can be done in a situation like that.

bengal-stripe

bordy wrote: »

In the online banking i have mistaken the last digit of the sort code of the HMRC account. The money have gone to a account which appears to be non HMRC account.

There is a very good chance, that particular sorting code and that account number will not tally up.
Hence the money has landed in a suspense account and will be returned to you in a few days.

bordy

Thank you all for giving me your point of view.

It has been more than three weeks after i made the transfer. I realized that I have made a mistake when I received a letter from HMRC with fine for £400 not paying my taxes. Of course I rang them straight away to find out the sort code 083221 is different enough from 083220 for the money to not be in HMRC account. I am hoping that eventually I can contest that fine with statements as a proof and also letters from Barclays for my good intentions to clearly pay my taxes on time.

Last week after I spoke with many people from Barclays ( my bank ) and also tried to contact CitiBank ( they didn’t want to talk to me , only to my bank) and also Co-opertive ( very helpful lady but the account appeared to not be theirs), I came across a very nice manager from the Putney branch. She took the case seriously. I faxed the letter I had as a proof from the Online Banking Helpdesk with all the details and a long letter explaining the whole story. She got in touch with Citibank, which appeared somehow to be connected to Co-opertive, and they have told her that they will investigate but it might take some time as this might even be an offshore account. Can’t get any better. I still have some hope because she took the case personally and have been in touch with real people over the phone not just sending letters to PO Boxes. If doesn’t work I will have to go to solicitors but I doubt it would help.
This is where my hopes are now.

Material_Girl_2

Sounds all very complicated and so much hassle for you. I would have thought that the receiving person or company would just send the money back to your account - unless it's under investigaton for money laundering or so if it is a large amount as you say.
I really hope you get it sorted soon!

pmduk

I'd go here and enter the sortcode and account number that you used. http://www.postcodeanywhere.co.uk/demos/bankvalidator.aspx If the account and sortcode aren't validated the money is likely to be sat in a suspense account somewhere, either at the destination bank or, less likely, at your own bank.

bordy

Thanks. I have already but i couldn't post the link in my first post ( new memeber)...
It confirmed that it is Citibank account.