Could another person deposit money into an account?¶

Yes. A person may deposit money into an account they do not own or control.

Avoid this assumption: A cash or cheque deposit proves the account holder attended the branch or machine.

Third-party deposits may be legitimate. A customer may pay a business, a family member may assist another person, or an employee may bank takings.

They may also be relevant to fraud, laundering or mule-account activity.

The method matters. A deposit may be made at a counter, through a machine, by transfer, through a payment service or using a deposit slip.

Relevant records may include the branch or terminal, date, time, amount, deposit reference, card or account identifier, staff notes, identification checks and CCTV.

The account holder may know about the deposit, direct it, discover it later or be entirely unaware.

Receipt of the funds does not automatically prove knowledge or agreement.

To assess attribution, identify who physically made the deposit, who supplied the money, who gave instructions and what happened to the funds afterward.

Communications, witness evidence, CCTV, device records and onward movement may help.

Do not assume that the depositor owned the cash. They may be acting for someone else.

Equally, do not assume that the account holder benefited merely because the balance increased. The money may have been moved onward immediately or the account may have been compromised.

When reporting, separate depositor, account holder, controller and beneficiary.

Operational takeaway¶

Identify the person who made or arranged the deposit and investigate separately the account holder’s knowledge, control and benefit.