If the recipient refuses to return the money, you may seek legal recourse by lodging a police report on the possible wrongful retention of the money.
According to the Penal Code, the retention or use of monies transferred erroneously, where the receiver has been informed of the wrongful transaction, is an offence that can attract a jail sentence, a fine, or both.
In 2019, a private hire driver was sentenced to jail for three months for misappropriation of monies that was mistakenly transferred to him. The money, which was meant to be paid to a vendor by a ride-hailing company, was wrongly transferred to the driver who then used the amount to pay his son's school fees, personal bills and other transactions.
