B.C. resident ordered to repay $5,000 e-transfer they were sent by accident
A B.C. resident will get back the $5,000 they accidentally e-transferred to someone else instead of moving the money to one of their own accounts.
A Civil Resolution Tribunal posted a decision Wednesday about the dispute between someone who said they sent the $5,000 in error and the recipient, who claimed they never got the money.
Tribunal member David Jiang said the decision was made based on the balance of probabilities, meaning one scenario was more likely than not.
The tribunal heard the sender meant to transfer the money to herself through online banking last September, but instead of selecting her own account, she selected someone else as the recipient. Jiang said a bank statement from that time shows a transfer of $5,000 that matches the accidental recipient's name.
Documents from the bank, BlueShore, corroborated both the recipient and the sender, Jiang said, and also showed the money was deposited by the recipient about 30 minutes after it was sent.
The recipient argued they no longer use the email address the money was mistakenly sent to.
"I find this submission unpersuasive as they did not say they lost access to the previous email address or that someone else had taken control over it," Jiang wrote. "They provided no evidence that someone else accepted the money using the old email address."
Jiang wrote the evidence presented to him showed $5,000 was sent "through email … and the respondent deposited it."
"BlueShore gave no indication that the money never arrived or was sent to someone else," his decision said. "Given the above, I find it proven that the respondent received $5,000 from the (sender) through a mistaken transaction."
Jiang said previous CRT decisions "generally apply the law of unjust enrichment" when considering mistaken e-transfers. He said he finds the recipient was "enriched by the claimed amount of $5,000," and ordered them to pay that money back.
The recipient was also ordered to pay the sender about $200 in CRT fees.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.