Centrelink Wrong Payment Received 46 K

puglix on 27/04/2023 - 03:14
Last edited 27/04/2023 - 11:19 by 1 other user

My wife coiple days ago she received a notification from centrelink she going to received an amount of 46k in the her bank account in a couple days and a $500 fortnightly payment.

My wife straight away call centrelink and after over 1 hr wait in line she explain the situation the money she going to received is not her money and sent wrongly on the her bank account, they tell her to download a special form to fill em up and bring to centrelink, she did and explain to them we don't want that money bcs they cause problems to us. She brought the form and they tell to my wife they have to do the investigation and the money they already on the way, they cause a prolem to us, bcs they show to us all this amount of money in the bank account.

In this situation what we can do, creating us stress of the situation, wasting time to us for their mistake, would you think we can et any compensation of the distress they cause to us?

What you think?

Financial Centrelink

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Comments

  • holdenmg on 27/04/2023 - 04:55
    +25

    Maybe go to your Bank and get them to Bounce or Block the Deposit.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 05:08
      +4

      Good idea, thanks

    • kaleidoscope on 28/04/2023 - 14:20
      +3

      nice, didnt know you could do that

    • Willywolfy on 29/04/2023 - 17:27

      I don't think a bank can do that?

      • desibaba on 02/05/2023 - 14:05
        +1

        Customer can request the bank to send back the money/reject the transaction if it is an unknown transaction(This can be done only once the transaction is visible in customers account). Bank will be able to reverse the transaction to the source account.

  • indium on 27/04/2023 - 06:06
    +10

    Is the money already in your bank account or have they shown your bank details where the money is going into?

    Is it possible someone has requested this money on your behalf using stolen information and it is having the money sent to their bank account while you are stuck with the repayments?

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 06:12

      Not yet the money is not yet in the bank, my wife she already made a claim at centrelink, they probably started to do an investigation, they told us, not to touch the money

      • trongy on 28/04/2023 - 08:29
        +26

        If an incorrect payment does appear in your account, I suggest you do what they say and leave it in the same account. They will probably get the bank to reverse the transaction within a week.

        I get that you are feeling somewhat stressed right now. You should remember that Centrelink is an arm of the Australian government. They have the potential to cause you a thousand times more stress in the future. They have given you clear instructions - to ignore them would be foolish. Remember that government departments move slowly. Hopefully they will sort this out in a week or two. In case they don't, keep clear records of all communications. Preferably do it in writing. If it's a phone call, note the date and time and name of the person you are taking to.

        would you think we can et any compensation of the distress they cause to us?

        If you were unlawfully shot by the police you might get compensation after a lengthy legal battle. Your chances of getting compensation over distress caused by an impending accidental payment are less than your chances of being abducted by aliens.

        • CocaKoala on 28/04/2023 - 10:12
          +5

          Your chances of getting compensation over distress caused by an impending accidental payment are less than your chances of being abducted by aliens.

          So you're telling me there's a chance. Yyeeeaaaah!

        • Roentgenium on 29/04/2023 - 18:15

          They have given you clear instructions - to ignore them would be foolish. Remember that government departments move slowly. Hopefully they will sort this out in a week or two. In case they don't, keep clear records of all communications. Preferably do it in writing. If it's a phone call, note the date and time and name of the person you are taking to.

          I work for the government (not SA), I can confirm we move slowly, but when we get going, we are moving!

          I've been loaned out to Services Australia during COVID and natural disasters, it's been a while and this is from memory. Calls are always recorded. Recording the date and time is probably the most important thing but ask for a receipt number at the end of the call. Any time we open someones file, it generates one of these.

          do.not.touch.the.money.

          preferably wait until the description of the payment is there before you ring up (they will ask you for this to help them trace it).

          depending on which payment system (i.e. the instant ones or the more traditional direct credit) any incorrect payments will be reversed in around 4 weeks time. if the money isnt there to be pulled back, it will be considered a debt and lets not get into that

        • CodeExplode on 30/04/2023 - 07:57
          +1

          Centrelink previously gave people clear instructions to keep records for up to 6 months. When the coalition invented robodebt requesting records from 6 or 7 years earlier, and the instructions were pointed out to only say 6 months was required, they were quietly updated overnight to say records must be kept for something like 7-10 years, and then they pretended it always said that as they went about harassing people for not having details they were told they did not need to keep.

          Essentially, following the advice of Centrelink may not save you if the coalition ever gets into power again, and sees you as an easy target over something like this. Ultimately their interest seems to be pure sadism, they don't turn a profit on these schemes and end up having to refund them while saying there was no way they could know there was such issues, while people are regularly telling them the issues to their face in multiple settings.

  • MS Paint on 27/04/2023 - 06:07
    +80

    Just don't spend it. Make sure it's going into a high interest account. Winning.

    • Europoor on 27/04/2023 - 06:09
      +16

      Yeah, should have let that money "marinate" for a year or two and not spend it. Surely SOMEONE will start missing $46k and do their own due diligence to get the money back? Right? I hope so….

      If not, I think it is safe to say that after a year or two nobody claiming the money you could just start spending it in small amounts until someone starts complaining.

      • bloom on 27/04/2023 - 06:49
        +18

        Spend it on sports bets and pokies so it looks legitimate

        • Kangal on 27/04/2023 - 20:57
          -1

          And ciggies and bottle-o

      • t_c on 29/04/2023 - 18:14

        Did someone say crypto

  • AustriaBargain on 27/04/2023 - 07:19
    +12

    Start the car!

  • lostgoat on 27/04/2023 - 07:20
    -8

    I wouldn't call Centrelink s8 away hehe :)

  • Ricky Jones on 27/04/2023 - 07:21
    +34

    This should be in the "Deals" category, "Free money from Centrelink"

    • Kangal on 27/04/2023 - 20:58
      +53

      [TARGETTED]

  • HardQuiz on 27/04/2023 - 07:59
    +35

    I just hope you are calling and dealing with the numbers found here..

    https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au

    Never rely on links or phone numbers sent via texts or emails. Always check the official website.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:52
      +3

      She did it through a legit website which she have an account and she found there, she never click any suspicious or malicious website

      • mskeggs on 27/04/2023 - 15:21
        +18

        www.centrelink.legit.is?

      • derrida derider on 28/04/2023 - 17:06
        +6

        Are you sure? This sounds very much like a version of the Amazon refund scam.

        Next you get a phone call saying how you have to log in to your bank account and send the money back to them. Then "that didn't work - I'll do it for you but you need to give me permission to do it remotely". Only thing is once you've given them remote access they edit the Javascript your PC is using to display the bank's website so they can change the amount you "return" without you seeing it - and strip your bank account.

    • AustriaBargain on 28/04/2023 - 12:28
      +1

      Would the average person on Centrelink even have 46k cash to scam out of? Maybe if they were on old age pension they could get it with savings or home equity or whatever. Also I guess if you can scam $300 out of someone then it doesn't matter how much you pretend to overpay them.

      • MeesusEff on 28/04/2023 - 18:42
        +1

        Have you seen the story recently of the young (20-30ish) couple that transferred out over $100k to a scammers that pretended to be their bank. It's like how are people that f'n stupid, massive pay day for the scammers

  • ChrisLevo on 27/04/2023 - 08:00
    +54

    You want compensation for what?

    This trend really annoys me - as much as long paragraphs with no punctuation……

    • payless69 on 27/04/2023 - 08:11
      +1

      Hard to say it they are scammed or troll. I get scammers texting me all the time with idiotic cash offers but all they want is access to my bank account.

    • Ricky Jones on 27/04/2023 - 08:33
      +31

      Can I get compensation for reading long paragraphs with no punctuation?

    • PensionerXXL on 28/04/2023 - 17:50
      +1

      wife gets free f/nightly money
      wants free money for the stress of being unemployed

      welcome to Australia!

    • 01011010 on 30/04/2023 - 16:25

      Or using an excessive amount of ……….

  • lostgoat on 27/04/2023 - 08:13

    Didn't you think OP the computers calculated the correct amount for your situation and no need to contact them . I don't even know how you can get through to them nowadays .
    Your wasting your precious time .

  • djsweet on 27/04/2023 - 08:41
    +10

    You might want to check what bank account Centrelink are sending the money too. Good chance you are wrapped up in some identity theft/fraud thing. I doubt the money will go to your account. Someone has likely applied for the payments as your wife and is getting the money sent to them.

    • Protractor on 28/04/2023 - 09:51

      Isn't comforting to know how easily tax payers money $B's) can be hoovered up so easily. I wonder if the OP has a local email service provider with offshore support? If they do that may explain a lot

  • WookieMonster on 27/04/2023 - 08:55
    +13

    Having helped a former neighbour (as their English was not great) when Centrelink accidentally paid them $2,000 a number of years ago (and yes, it really was Centrelink):

    • Centrelink will not do anything until they complete their investigations.

    • As soon as the investigation wraps up and they realise “oh crap, we just sent way too much money to the wrong person”, they will start harassing you for the money back (and their communications can sometimes make it seem like it is somehow all your fault).

    • Centrelink will apply to your bank to claw back the money on a certain date. Your bank in turn will start jumping up and down about money being clawed back on a certain date.

    I have no idea about the compensation part of your question, but I would be extremely surprised if they offered anything as compensation. As one financial planner told me, Centrelink can sometimes be a law unto themselves, so if they screw up, too bad.

    I will add that $46,000 seems extremely high for a Centrelink accidental payment. Yes, it could be that Centrelink was intending to back-pay someone, but still, that is weirdly large.

    • WreckTangle on 27/04/2023 - 09:20
      +9

      Agreed. Sounds way too high for a Centrelink payment. No wonder my taxes are so high. Somethings fishy here.

      • Malik Nasser on 27/04/2023 - 20:49
        +3

        Yep. It was suppose to be transferred to Bob from Accounting.

      • HangryCakeStore on 28/04/2023 - 08:11

        This should on the news

    • cydia9k on 27/04/2023 - 09:35
      +4

      Sounds about right, prepare for a lot of aggressive automated letters

      • WookieMonster on 27/04/2023 - 09:46
        +2

        … and at best, indifferent “customer service” reps.

  • Nugs on 27/04/2023 - 09:17

    robodebt money being redistributed?
    .

  • mrkorrupt on 27/04/2023 - 09:23
    +4

    OP… Centrelink sent us money we dont want
    also OP… can we keep some of that money you sent us that we dont want

      • brendanm on 27/04/2023 - 12:21
        +4

        but for a kind a distress they cause us,

        Lol, receiving money and not using it is distressing?

        • bobbified on 27/04/2023 - 13:52
          +5

          Yes, being able to see a big "Available Amount" figure in your account but also not being able to spend it can be 'distressing' for some! 😂

          • brendanm on 27/04/2023 - 16:31

            @bobbified: Stick in high interest account, pocket the interest until they realise. Or if you like risk, put it in Bitcoin and hope for the best.

    • I like freestuff on 28/04/2023 - 14:20
      +1

      For the pain and suffering I feel like 45k would be a fair amount for OP to keep. The pain and suffering of posting on Ozbargins of course.

  • Fredfloresjr on 27/04/2023 - 09:31

    Tell your wife that someone is just washing money. They'l get it back.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:21
      -4

      Told already maybe laundering money, who knows, but create a stress from us because centrelink is a pain, they never give you a cent easily

  • Naigrabzo on 27/04/2023 - 09:34
    +10

    Scam alert.

  • Bignudge on 27/04/2023 - 09:50
    -1

    Imagine using that boost as a house deposit. With some decent income… surely you could buy a really cheap house with alittle extra to cover repaying back that 40K.

  • lostgoat on 27/04/2023 - 09:57
    +7

    Put it all on Daicos for Brownlow around $3 . Make your 92K profit and pay them back in Sept if it's not your $$$$$$$$ .

  • rekke on 27/04/2023 - 10:05
    +4

    Did you validate that email actually came from Centrelink?

    Also, have you checked her credit score lately? This sounds extremely suspicious.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:58

      She didn't received any email, she checked her account on legit website centrelink

      • rekke on 27/04/2023 - 11:18
        +4

        Have you checked her credit score and credit enquiries? Do the banking details in Centrelink align with her actual bank? Sounds like fraud tbh

  • EightImmortals on 27/04/2023 - 10:17
    +6

    Make sure you get a reference number for every phone call you make to Centrelink and keep all relevant details, dates, times etc in a notebook. You will probably need it at some point in the future.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:22
      +5

      Thanks did already, took a screenshot at everything

  • freefall101 on 27/04/2023 - 10:31
    +5

    Has your wife ever signed up a services australia account? Are you able to log into it and check that the banking details are correct?

    If it really is centrelink (it sounds like a scam, particularly the round dollar amounts), it sounds like someone has made a false claim and is getting back payment. They might have used your wife's details but it'll go to a different bank account.

    Otherwise it sounds like a standard scam where you'll see a pending deposit of $46k, the scammed will ask you to transfer the money back to them and then the original transaction will get cancelled.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:37

      I'll check with her now thanks

      • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 10:44

        She checked through the legit website, because she have an account and through the website said she going to receive the money( she didn't click any suspicius email link). She have an appointment friday with the nearest centrelink office and talk to them

        • JIMB0 on 27/04/2023 - 11:05
          +8

          Check the bank account details on the site are actually for your account and haven't been changed.

        • Randolph Duke on 28/04/2023 - 09:32
          +2

          What URL is the legit website she is checking?

          • juki on 28/04/2023 - 11:01
            +9

            @Randolph Duke: yes the fact OP says legit website actually sounds suspicious

  • Drakesy on 27/04/2023 - 10:42
    +3

    Use robodebt to recoup lossess.

    Hands out money willy nilly

    Classic centrelink.

  • cupcake on 27/04/2023 - 10:48
    +1

    My advice is to document everything with dates, times, and receipt numbers. Lodge a complaint online.

    That way, you can let them know you have tried returning the money many times.

    You might be able to keep it later on, for their error.

    Remember, it's the government's error - not yours.

  • lostgoat on 27/04/2023 - 11:08
    +2

    Next thing on the thread OP will be saying he got a text wanting a few thousand to get his $46K robodebt payment .

  • racer1234 on 27/04/2023 - 11:12
    +2

    Your federal MP can help with centrelink issues.

  • Donaldhump on 27/04/2023 - 11:31
    +2

    you rang centerlink, they said fill out a form, you say i cant be assed, if you cant be assed.

    keep money till they take it back,

    you did what you needed to do and ring them (document it), thats it

  • MS Paint on 27/04/2023 - 11:38
    +4

    I've only received a $600 baby bonus from Centrelink a very long time ago. Who in God's name is getting $40k + ?

    It would appear I've been doing it wrong all this time.

    • Switchblade88 on 27/04/2023 - 11:41
      +7

      You got the Baby Bonus therefore you were clearly 'doing it' correctly

      • MS Paint on 27/04/2023 - 11:47
        +13

        That's not what she said but thanks for the confidence booster.

    • puglix on 27/04/2023 - 12:21

      Clearly is a mistake, for sure somebody at the centrelink messed up really bad if the money come to the bank

    • Name on 28/04/2023 - 21:26

      Could be back pay. I had a 13k back pay decades ago when I was fighting them over being on the lower (incorrect) plan(?). After arguing and going through tribunals with them over a number of years they back dated it to when I first lodged the claim.

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 27/04/2023 - 11:57
    +6

    Create a 1902 number at $29.95/min and give it to centrelink to contact you about the money.

  • filmer on 27/04/2023 - 12:05
    +10

    How is this even remotely stressful for you? It was 1 phone call, and 1 form to fill out.

    It almost sounds like you are attempting to make some documented evidence of your 'stress' as a ploy to be compensated, if this even really happened.

    • HangryCakeStore on 28/04/2023 - 08:15

      This scam is a current affair worthy, maybe they’re preparing for that

    • Minimum chips on 28/04/2023 - 19:00
      +3

      You think this isn't stressful? They are in a highly unusual situation involving a very large amount of money that isn't theirs. To solve the problem they have to deal with Centrelink, who made the mistake yet will be the biggest liability in getting it resolved, being hard to get in touch with, slow to act and eager to prosecute him if he does anything wrong.

      On top of all that it doesn't seem like English is his first language. That makes everything harder, and I can tell you that dealing with foreign buerocracy in any language is stressful.

      That's all assuming it isn't a scam - the uncertainty around which is a stressor on its own. In fact, stressing people out is a key part of many of these scams. They imply urgency or a risk of prosecution to pressure people into transferring the "mistakenly sent" money away quickly, before they do any research or doubt sets in.

      • filmer on 29/04/2023 - 18:32

        They were notified of where it came from immediately. If this was a completely unknown deposit I may agree.

  • happydude on 27/04/2023 - 12:34
    +1

    Notification from centrelink

    Knowing Centrelink quite well, so many troll indictors here.

    If you are getting $500/fn the notice will say what it was for. What does it say?

  • bobbified on 27/04/2023 - 13:55
    +2

    Beware of further phone calls etc telling you to transfer the funds to another account. If it does turn out to be a scam and you've transferred it elsewhere (based on a scam caller's instructions), it'll be you that Centrelink chases.

  • studentl0an on 27/04/2023 - 14:19
    +6

    Hey, it's me - Centrelink.

    Please send me a PM so that I can give you the official bank account to send the money back to when it comes.

  • randomusername2017 on 27/04/2023 - 15:40
    +1

    Has op actually confirmed this legit website was a mygov account?¿… if so their mygov inbox should have all the answers.

  • Malik Nasser on 27/04/2023 - 20:50
    -1

    Stress less.
    Just buy some Bitcoin with it, and store it on your cold wallet.
    All sorted.

  • Zapwap on 27/04/2023 - 22:21

    would you think we can et any compensation of the distress they cause to us?

    They already giving you 46k

  • AwesomeAndrew on 27/04/2023 - 22:27
    +1

    You don't need to do anything now. Once the money lands in your bank account, you can consider transferring it to a high interest savings account. When you get a call or a letter from your bank saying that Centrelink wants the money back, then follow bank's instructions to return the money. (Of course before returning the money verify that you are really talking to your bank and are not being scammed.)

  • Empharand on 27/04/2023 - 22:34

    Throw the money into a High Interest Savings Account, wait until Centrelink realises and sends you a letter asking for the money back (Call the Centrelink number on the Centrelink website, not the letter encase it is a scam), keep the interest earned on that $46,000.

    Just be sure this isn't a scam.

  • living4music on 27/04/2023 - 23:48
    +1

    Relax dude. You are over thinking and too stressed. The money is not even in your account yet. Even if it is in your account now, it’s not the end of the world. You did nothing wrong, why worry? Just sort things out slowly, no one is putting you in jail for someone’s fault.

  • 7ekn00 on 27/04/2023 - 23:53
    +2

    Scam, you keep saying "legitimate website", without actually stating which site nor checking the actual banking details on said site :/

    Get ready for some fake transfer document, then harsh legal warning to xfer that amount to some random account, even when you don't have it in the account yet!

  • deme on 28/04/2023 - 01:10
    +1

    All you have to do is not spend it, that's it.

    Don't transfer it to anyone.

    Given you keep saying legit website and not mygov either this is a troll or you don't know what you are doing.
    So please if anyone says they are from Centrelink and you need to transfer the money, go in to Centrelink, in person and get help.
    It might save you $46,000.

    Scam victims always have this sense they know what they are doing.

  • deme on 28/04/2023 - 01:11
    +4

    compensation

    bugger off

  • matt-ozb on 28/04/2023 - 06:12
    +1

    OP is going to get scammed here

  • mousie on 28/04/2023 - 06:42
    +2

    Gerry Harvey had the same problem

  • serpserpserp on 28/04/2023 - 08:20

    If you don't want headaches, do exactly what they say and hope this gets resolved quickly. You never win with Centrelink.

  • noz on 28/04/2023 - 08:45

    Wouldn't surprise me if when they recoup the money the take some extra as a GIC (general interest charge), since you were holding money owed to them.!

  • Magnastar on 28/04/2023 - 09:04
    +4

    What most surprises me in this thread is not that OP got 40k by accident, it's that so many people a) don't believe Centrelink could make a mistake, and that b) people can't understand how this could be stressful.

    Centrelink staff make ridiculous lazy mistakes all the time with impunity. They don't exactly have the most highly motivated, high achieving workforce. Last time I was in a Centrelink office I watched a staff member come out of the break room, deal with two customers, have a chat with another staff member for a few minutes, then walk back into the break room not to be sighted again for the next 5 - 10 minutes before I got called up.

    Just think back to Robo Debt scenario and how people were treated. No wonder OP doesn't want the stress of a large sum of Centrelink error money sitting in his account. It'll take them two years of not caring and telling OP theres no issue, then suddenly he'll find private investigators hiding in his bushes and ASIO spy planes filming him loading his groceries into his car down at Coles.

    • Protractor on 28/04/2023 - 12:39
      +5

      TBC> Robodebt was not CL's fault. It was a model designed by corrupt politicians of the LNP and their spineless obedient power hungry psychopath bureaucrats. CL may very well be incompetent a/holes, but Robodebt was the LNP's to own. People died because of this nightmare and the perpetrators (LNP & their grovelling obsequious) monkeys) should never escape the fact.

      "suddenly he'll find private investigators hiding in his bushes and ASIO spy planes filming him loading his groceries into his car down at Coles.'

      Guffaw

  • lint on 28/04/2023 - 09:21
    +2

    Once the money shows up in your account, leave the money there while Centrelink investigates. Not sure why you're upset over this, if they take too long to investigate and get their money back, that's their problem, not yours.

    As long as you've shown that you notified them as soon as you became aware, and you haven't touched that money, you're not liable for anything else that happens.

    Personally, I would've waited until I actually saw the money in the account before notifying them.

  • trapper on 28/04/2023 - 09:39
    +2

    Put it in your offset account :)

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