PHOENIX – A member of Desert Schools FCU was horrified when she realized she deposited $5,800 into the wrong account because she incorrectly typed one digit of her online account number when making the transfer–she typed a 6 instead of an 8.
The miscue–every online banking users worst fear–sent the funds to another credit union member who quickly went out and spent the money–on bills, clothes and a new tattoo.
After the credit union realized the mistake it contacted the erroneous recipient to ask him to return the funds. "We called the member three different times to ask him to return the money and he refused," said Jason Meyers, chief spokesman for the $3 billion credit union.
So the credit union contacted the Phoenix Police, who charged the member with felony theft, inducing him to repay the erroneously obtained funds. Even though the young member spent the money, his parents have apparently agreed to make it up, according to Meyers.
"This was a member error," Meyers told The Credit Union Journal yesterday. "She withdrew nearly $6,000 from her Fidelity online banking account and was trying to transfer the money to her Desert Schools online account."
"We feel terrible; she’s a single mother, she made a mistake," said Meyers, who noted that the member will get her money back. "This is one transaction out of millions that we handle," he stated.
