Urslaan Khan, a 41-year-old resident of Poplar, east London, was surprised when he logged into his savings account, which had a balance of just 1 pound, and discovered that an astonishing 122,000 pounds (Rs 1.24 crore) had been mysteriously credited in it, according to a report in Daily Star. Initially, he hoped that this substantial windfall was truly his to keep for a whole day.
Mr Khan promptly alerted Gatehouse Bank about the unexpected windfall. To his delight, he claimed that the bank informed him that the money was rightfully his. However, the bank soon realised their error and, within 24 hours, requested him to return the funds. Without hesitation, Mr Khan repaid the full amount the following Monday.
"I had only 1 pound in my savings account, and I had set up a standing order for 200 pounds to transfer to my current account, though my savings account didn't have the necessary funds for the transaction. When the money appeared, I checked my balance and was astounded to see 122,000 pounds. The astonishing part is that not only did they deposit the money into my account, but they also permitted me to transfer it to my Barclays account," he told the outlet.
Mr Khan then came to know that the money was likely intended for another customer with multiple accounts at the bank. "It seems like this person must have two accounts, Account A and Account B, and the bank meant to transfer funds from Account A to Account B. However, somewhere along the line, it ended up in my account, which I'll call Account Z!" he said.
After a discussion with the bank, Mr Khan promptly returned the money. Reflecting on the situation, he said, "I could have been financially secure for life if I had chosen to keep it, but I would have kept it a secret." He further said, "I took the initiative to inform them of the situation, despite being put on hold three times and reassured that there was no cause for concern. It took the bank a full day to realize their error. Furthermore, I had the option to transfer the money to another account without requesting it; it simply landed in my account."
Gatehouse Bank has so far not commented on individual customer accounts.
