Why Keeping The Money Isn’t The Right Move
Why Keeping The Money Isn’t The Right Move
Will Kenton Tue, September 2, 2025
Someone I don’t know deposited $500 to my Zelle account — is there any harm in just keeping it?
Your phone pings, and you open Zelle to find $500 sitting in your account, but it isn’t from your employer, a friend or anyone you recognize. Instead, it’s from a stranger, sent through Zelle with no explanation. At first, it feels like an unexpected windfall. Who wouldn’t be tempted to think of it as free money?. But that surprise transfer may not be a lucky break. Money sent to your account by someone you don’t know often signals a mistake or, worse, the beginning of a scam.
And if you decide to keep or spend the funds, you could quickly find yourself in trouble. Understanding why these “accidental” payments happen and how scammers exploit them can help you protect your account and your wallet.
Why Keeping The Money Isn’t The Right Move
Unexpected deposits through payment apps are not gifts. Under federal rules like the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, unauthorized transactions can be reversed if they are reported. That means the money you see in your account could disappear just as suddenly as it appeared, especially if it was tied to fraud. Spending it can leave you in financial and legal trouble.
There is also a strong chance that what seems like a mistake is actually part of a scam.
Internet scams have become widespread. In the FBI’s latest 2024 Internet Crime Report, more than 859,000 complaints were filed with the Bureau, and reported losses to Americans increased 33 percent from 2023 to an eye-watering $16.6 billion.
How the scam works
The way the fraud typically unfolds is simple but effective. Here’s the basic play:
A scammer sets up a payment app account with stolen credit card information.
They send money to a random person (in this case, you) making it look like a lucky mistake.
Shortly after, they reach out, often with a friendly or urgent message: “Hey, I sent you $500 by accident, can you send it back?”
If you return the money, it doesn’t go back to the stolen card. The scammer has already switched their account to a real card they own, so your “refund” goes straight into their pocket.
Meanwhile, your bank eventually realizes the first payment was fraudulent and reverses it. That $500 disappears from your account, but the money you sent back is gone for good.
TO READ MORE: https://news.yahoo.com/news/finance/news/someone-don-t-know-deposited-120000474.html