Desperate to recoup his money and blaming the banks for not checking that the recipient account name<\/a> matched that on the payment transfer, Che tried to negotiate compensation. <\/p>\n But his attempts were knocked back by Westpac and Barclays, which both denied liability because the mistake was his. The Banking Ombudsman<\/a> also ruled that Westpac was not at fault. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n In a dream turn of events this week, however, Che received a call from the UK Financial Ombudsman Service, informing him that Barclays had reconsidered its position and was now refunding his cash. <\/p>\n Che told the Herald he was stunned by the unexpected news and was still in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018Mr Che, I have good news for you. Barclays is going to refund all your money that you lost, plus \u00a3500 ($1200).\u2019 I was really hit by a tonne of bricks.<\/p>\n \u201cI came over to my daughter\u2019s in a daze, but I didn\u2019t want to get too happy in case they might change their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n He needn\u2019t have worried. When Che checked his account, he was delighted to find the outstanding $130,000 had been returned – plus a \u00a3500 goodwill payment in recognition of the stress he had endured over the past 15 months. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of zeros,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A beaming Che met the Herald yesterday to discuss his unexpected windfall and to thank the newspaper for its coverage of his plight.<\/p>\n He said he had lost 10kg due to anxiety and had many sleepless nights. <\/p>\n He believed media pressure helped to secure the return of his savings. \u201cYou are such an angel.\u201d <\/p>\n He was now deciding how best to invest the money to secure his financial future. Having it returned was a huge relief. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am over the moon. I\u2019m jumping for joy, at my age.<\/p>\n \u201cI will be happier. You can see that I\u2019m smiling more now.\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018Wrongful recipient\u2019 went on \u2018spending spree\u2019 <\/p>\n Because of Che\u2019s payment error, the account number provided to Westpac<\/a> had only 15 digits, not the intended 16. So Westpac added a zero to the suffix, as is its usual protocol. <\/p>\n When he realised the money had not arrived in his account, he said he contacted Barclays in February 2024 and Westpac the following month. <\/p>\n In a letter denying liability for Che\u2019s loss, Westpac said it was unfortunate the account number provided was for a valid Westpac account, albeit that of another customer. <\/p>\n Westpac said it had repeatedly contacted the woman in a bid to recoup his funds.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe wrongful recipient understands the severity of the situation and are aware that the police at some stage may be contacted.\u201d<\/p>\n Westpac recommended that Che alert police and offered to contribute $3000 towards his legal costs \u201con receipt of an invoice\u201d if he wished to pursue civil proceedings against the woman.<\/p>\n Che did contact police, who initially refused to investigate – saying it was a civil dispute – until Mt Roskill MP Carlos Cheung intervened and convinced police to re-examine Che\u2019s file. <\/p>\n It\u2019s understood the woman is now under investigation. A retired law professor believes she has no right to the money, and could face theft charges which could result in jail time. <\/p>\n A Westpac NZ spokeswoman said the bank had been helping Che to try to recover the money.<\/p>\n \u201cThat has included freezing funds in the recipient\u2019s account, contacting Barclays Bank, encouraging Mr Che to contact police, communicating with the recipient on his behalf and offering him assistance to take a civil case to recover his money.\u201d<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n While a matching service to confirm payees\u2019 names was being rolled out by NZ banks, Westpac said this was not available for international payments.<\/p>\n \u2018It doesn\u2019t pay to be a thief\u2019<\/p>\n Che says he is glad police are now investigating the case and hopes the woman who received his money faces justice. <\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t pay to be a thief.\u201d <\/p>\n He said banks should be responsible for checking account names when processing large money transfers to ensure funds don\u2019t go to the wrong person.<\/p>\n The failure to carry out these checks was an \u201cinadequacy in the banking system\u201d. <\/p>\n Asked what advice he had for other bank customers, Che urged people to be \u201cvery careful\u201d. <\/p>\nAndrew Che Sit Bong credits media coverage for helping to secure a full refund of his life savings. Photo \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
Andrew Che Sit Bong battled for compensation for 15 months and is still in disbelief after Barclays Bank in the UK refunded his money. Photo \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
Andrew Che Sit Bong says he lost 10kg and had many sleepless nights after losing $158k when he accidentally sent money to the wrong bank account number. Photo \/ Michael Craig<\/p>\n