This Is Not Monopoly
What to Do When Money That Is Not Yours Lands in Your Account
In the board game Monopoly, one of the most exciting Community Chest cards reads: Bank Error in Your Favour. Collect M200. You pick it up, you pocket the money, and you move on. Nobody comes after you. Nobody asks questions.
Life is not a Monopoly game.
Jamaica is moving to a fully electronic payment system — cheques are being phased out by March 2028 and every financial transaction is heading online. That shift brings real benefits. It also brings real risks. And one of the most important things every Jamaican needs to understand right now is this: unexpected money landing in your account is not automatically yours to keep — and in some cases, touching it at all can get you into serious trouble.
Why Unexpected Transfers Are Happening More Often
When everyone is swapping bank account numbers, Lynk details and prepaid card information over WhatsApp and text, mistakes are going to happen. A digit gets transposed. A contact gets confused. Someone sends to the wrong number. These are honest errors — and they are becoming more common as more Jamaicans move their financial lives online.
But not every unexpected transfer is an honest mistake. Some are deliberate. Criminals use electronic transfers as part of scams — sending money to an innocent person's account as part of a scheme that requires that person to forward the funds on. The money looks real. The story sounds believable. The consequences of participating are severe.
The Rule That Could Save You
Here is the single most important thing in this entire post. Read it slowly.
““If anyone sends you new or updated bank account details — by WhatsApp, text or email — call that person directly before you transfer a single dollar.””
If anyone sends you new or updated bank account details — by WhatsApp, text or email — call that person directly before you transfer a single dollar.
Not a reply message. Not a voice note. A direct phone call, to a number you already have saved — not a number provided in the same message.
This is because one of the fastest growing forms of financial fraud globally involves criminals intercepting legitimate payment conversations and substituting their own bank details. Your landlord sends their account details for the month's rent. Your supplier sends updated payment information. Your contractor texts their Lynk number. Any of those communications could have been intercepted, faked or impersonated. One phone call — to a number you already trust — confirms whether it is real before your money moves.
What to Do If Money Arrives That Is Not Yours
Do not spend it. Do not move it. Do not assume it is a windfall.
Contact your bank immediately. Tell them you have received a transfer you do not recognise, give them the details, and ask them to investigate. Your bank has the authority to reverse the transaction and return the funds to the rightful sender. Your job is to report it promptly and leave it alone until they advise you otherwise.
Document everything. Take a screenshot of the transaction, note the date, time and amount, and keep a record of every conversation with your bank.
What If You Already Spent It?
The law does not give you a free pass simply because you did not know. Under the legal principle of unjust enrichment, money that is not rightfully yours remains the property of whoever sent it — even after it has been spent. If you spent it in genuine good faith without knowing it was not yours, the courts may take that into account. But you are still generally required to repay what you received, however long it takes.
The lesson is simple — when money arrives unexpectedly, report it before you touch it. Once it is spent, recovering your legal position becomes significantly harder and significantly more stressful.
What If the Money Is Connected to Criminal Activity?
This is where things get serious — and where too many Jamaicans have found themselves in serious trouble.
A common and well-documented scheme works like this. Someone contacts you — sometimes through a romantic relationship built online, sometimes through a job offer, sometimes through a lottery prize or a story about needing help — and money arrives in your account. They then ask you to withdraw it and send it on — via another transfer, through a remittance service, or even in cash. The story is convincing. The money looks real. And then the police come.
Under Jamaica's Proceeds of Crime Act, receiving, using or possessing money that comes from criminal activity is an offence — even if you did not know where it came from, if the circumstances were suspicious enough that you should have known. Wilful blindness — choosing not to ask questions when something feels wrong — is not a defence.
If you receive an unexpected transfer and someone immediately contacts you asking you to forward it on — stop. That is a mule scheme. Report it to your bank and to the Jamaica Constabulary Force immediately. Do not forward anything.
Sending Money Safely — The Risks Go Both Ways
The risk in electronic payments is not only about what arrives in your account. It is also about what leaves it.
Before you send any significant amount to a new or updated account, send a small test amount first. A few hundred dollars. Confirm the recipient received it before you send the full amount. This one habit catches account detail fraud before it costs you everything.
When you set up a new payee — a landlord, a supplier, a contractor — verify their details by phone before the first transfer. Once a payment leaves your account, recovering it is not guaranteed and is rarely quick.
Is Electronic Banking Actually Safer?
In important ways — yes. Every electronic transaction leaves a digital trail. That trail is your evidence if something goes wrong. A dispute about a bank transfer is far easier to investigate and resolve than a dispute about cash that changed hands in a car park. Electronic payments are traceable in a way that cash simply is not.
Jamaica's electronic payment infrastructure — including Lynk, ACH and RTGS transfers — is regulated by the Bank of Jamaica. This is a meaningful protection that systems like Zelle, CashApp and Venmo in the United States do not fully offer. Those platforms can function as truly peer-to-peer systems where money moves directly between individuals with minimal institutional oversight. In Jamaica, even Lynk transactions flow through a regulated, supervised financial infrastructure — which provides Jamaicans with a layer of protection, though not absolute protection, that should be understood and valued.
That said — the era of free electronic transactions in Jamaica is ending. Lynk introduced a 3.5% fee on debit top-ups in September 2026 and banks have revised their fee schedules. Electronic banking carries transaction costs. But when you factor in the cost of travelling to a bank branch, the time spent in line, the risk of carrying cash, and the expense of cheque books — electronic banking is often less costly overall, not more.
The Tried and True Protections — Worth Repeating
These are not new. But in a fully electronic payment environment they matter more than ever.
Never share your PIN, password or one-time code with anyone — not a bank employee, not a family member, not anyone. Your bank will never ask for these.
Enable two-factor authentication on your banking app and your email account. This single step blocks the majority of unauthorised access attempts.
Set up transaction notifications so your phone alerts you the moment any money moves in or out of your account. If you did not initiate it, you know immediately.
Never access your banking app over public Wi-Fi. Use your mobile data.
Review your account regularly — at least once a week. Do not wait for a monthly statement to discover something is wrong.
Log out of your banking app after every session.
And for any new or updated payment details received by message — make the phone call. Every time. Without exception.
A Note on Cryptocurrency
I have deliberately left cryptocurrency transactions out of this post. The risks, mechanics and regulatory landscape around crypto in Jamaica deserve a full post of their own — and that is coming. For now, if someone is asking you to receive money and convert it to cryptocurrency, treat that as an immediate red flag and report it.
Phasing out cheques is the right call — but right does not always mean ready, and for many Jamaicans, particularly those without bank accounts, ready is still some way off. Electronic payments are faster, more traceable and more convenient than anything paper ever offered. But moving an entire country into digital finance does not just change how we transact — it changes how criminals operate too. The same technology that lets you pay your light bill at midnight from your couch is the same technology a scammer is using to try to get into your account.
Know the risks. Use the protections. Make the phone call.
And remember — this is not Monopoly. There is no Community Chest card that lets you keep money that was never meant for you.
Notable Terms
ACH transfer — everyday electronic payment between bank accounts, settles within hours, modest fee
RTGS — large value urgent payments, settles immediately, higher fee
Lynk — mobile wallet, no bank account required, works for everyday transactions and bill payments
Lynk Virtual Card — contactless and online payments on Android, no bank account or physical card required
Prepaid cards — load cash, spend electronically at merchants
Bill Express / PayMaster — pay bills in cash at physical locations
SDD Account — ask your bank about this accessible entry level bank account option
JamDex — Jamaica's Central Bank Digital Currency, a digital form of the Jamaican dollar accessible through the Lynk wallet, exchanges dollar for dollar with physical cash
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) — a security feature requiring two forms of verification to access an account, typically your password plus a one-time code sent to your phone
Account Detail Fraud — a scam where criminals fake or intercept payment communications and substitute their own bank details to redirect your transfer to themselves
Mule Account — a bank account used to receive and forward funds connected to criminal activity, knowingly or unknowingly; participating is a criminal offence under Jamaican law
Test Payment — a small transfer sent to a new account before the full amount to confirm the details are correct and the right person receives it
Unjust Enrichment — a legal principle requiring you to return money you received but have no right to keep, even if you received it by mistake
Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) — Jamaica's law making it a criminal offence to receive, use or possess money connected to criminal activity, even without knowing its origin if the circumstances were suspicious
This post provides general information only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. If you are involved in a disputed transaction or believe you have received funds connected to criminal activity, contact your bank immediately and seek independent legal advice.
