COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado Springs man says one small mistake nearly cost him a significant portion of his income until he reached out to News5 for help.
For Dave Phillips, living with a disability comes with daily challenges.
“I fell off the roof about 10 years ago… I landed headfirst in the ground and obliterated my spinal cord… it left me paraplegic,” said Phillips.
Because of that injury, his disability income is his lifeline, and every dollar matters.
Phillips says he made a routine rent payment through PayPal. It's something he does every month without issue. But this time, something went wrong.
“I look at the person’s name and just send it… But they also go by email addresses. They both had Gmail addresses,” he said.
Phillips accidentally sent $750 to the wrong person.
He immediately contacted his bank, hoping to stop the transaction.
“I just thought, ‘I’ll fix it.’ I didn’t realize there was no way to fix it,” he said.
That’s when Phillips reached out to News5. We contacted PayPal on his behalf to look into the issue. A few days later, PayPal responded, saying its support team had reached out directly to Phillips and resolved the situation.
It added that customers should double-check their transactions before finalizing a payment. Soon after, Phillips received confirmation, his money had been refunded.
Situations like this are not common, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Southern Colorado.
Adah Rodriguez with the BBB says they do hear from people who make similar mistakes.
“We do get calls from people asking, ‘What can I do? How do I get it back?” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez says taking a moment to double-check details can make all the difference.
“Double-check the name, the address, sometimes there’s even a picture of the person you’re sending money to,” she said.
She also warns that some digital payment platforms don’t provide a final warning screen before sending money.
“If it’s a big amount, you have to know your risks,” added Rodriguez. “If it’s $1,000, take extra time to double-check everything.”
What started as a stressful mistake ended in relief for Phillips, but he hopes others can learn from his experience.
“People should be aware of stuff like this so they don’t make the same mistake,” he said.
He’s also grateful for the help he received.
“I want to thank KOAA for helping move that message into the public eye so no one else has to go through what I did,” said Phillips.
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