NBC 7 Responds helps recover over $4k for San Diegan whose direct deposit went wrong

Imagine the frustration — imagine the worry — if your direct deposits were sent to someone else. 

That's exactly what happened to an NBC 7 viewer named William, who called NBC 7 Responds looking for help to get his money back. 

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William admitted it was his mistake when he set up the direct deposit incorrectly, causing it to be sent to someone else’s account, but undoing that mistake proved to be a daunting task. 

In March, William typed in the wrong bank account number on a direct-deposit form, only to realize later that was why his Social Security payment had not been deposited. Trying to fix the situation, he contacted the SSA and his bank, Chase.

Two months later, neither the SSA nor Chase had resolved his case. 

The Social Security Administration asked Chase — which had received the money and transferred it to the account number NBC 7's viewer specified — to return the money. Chase, however, told William it couldn't do anything, since the money was deposited to the account that he requested.

NBC 7 Responds looked into the problem and was able to help William recover $4,231.

A representative for Chase told NBC 7 Responds via email that the person who had mistakenly received the deposit agreed to return the money to the U.S. Treasury. 

But what if the person who received the money had not returned it? The Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which issues Social Security payments, told us “... neither the recipient of the funds nor the [bank] is legally obligated to return the funds …”

So, remember: It's important to double- and even triple-check account numbers every time a direct deposit is requested, whether it's for a paycheck, tax refund, or Social Security payment.