Tuesday 19 January 2021
A shore thing
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Savings stolen Matt Brown Reporter
matt@marlboroughmedia.co.nz
A single-digit account error has cost a Canvastown woman her savings and destroyed her travel dreams. Cathy Hawker spent years saving $8000 to buy a campervan. But a mistake in making the payment means she has lost all her hard-earned money to a stranger who refuses to return the ill-gotten gains. The service station assistant wants to warn others that a simple mistake could cost them dearly. “I wanted to have some adventure,” she says. “Go away. Have a bit of fun in life. “It was something for me.” Cathy says she transferred $8000 to her friend Johnny who she was buying the campervan from. But when Johnny called to check when the money would clear, Cathy realised she had made a terrible mistake. “I’d put in a double-oh (00) instead of 09,” Cathy says. “That was all my savings. “I felt like a fool. How could I make
such a mistake?” The money went to a woman in the North Island who quickly withdrew the cash and has refused to return the funds, says Cathy. “The bank wiped their hands of me. “There’s no reimbursement,” she says. Banking ombudsman Nicola Sladden says getting money back from an incorrect payment can be a tricky process. “It relies on honesty and goodwill,” she says. “It’s very disappointing in this case the recipient didn’t return the funds,” Nicola says. “They are holding onto money that doesn’t belong to them. “Most people that receive funds that don’t belong to them, just like if you found a wallet on the ground, would do the right thing and return it. “If you receive a mistaken payment the right thing to do is notify your bank.” Nicola says banks rely on the consent of the account holder to make payments and banks don’t have the
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED
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Cruising to victory
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Cathy Hawker, 61, lost thousands of dollars after a banking error saw her savings stolen. Photo: Emma Filipov-Bell.
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