AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Report a wrong transfer to Ecobank at once on 0700 500 0000, through live chat or at a branch, giving the amount, date, recipient account and the transaction reference. Ecobank then contacts the receiving bank, which can only return the money with the recipient's cooperation or a lawful instruction, so speed and a complete record matter more than anything else.
Why a wrong transfer is hard to undo
Interbank transfers in Nigeria settle almost immediately, which is the whole point of them; our explainer on NIP instant payments shows how. Once the money lands, it belongs on paper to the account holder who received it. Ecobank cannot simply pull it back from another bank. It can ask the receiving bank to act, and that bank in turn needs the recipient's consent, or grounds such as fraud, to debit the account.
Steps to take now
- Report it immediately. Call 0700 500 0000, use live chat in the Ecobank Mobile app or on the website, or go to your branch. The sooner the receiving bank is alerted, the more likely the money is still in the account.
- Give complete details. Amount, date and time, the recipient's bank and account number, the name that showed when you sent it, and the session ID or reference from your debit alert or receipt.
- Ask for a complaint reference. Write it down with the name of the person you spoke to.
- Put it in writing. Email the contact centre (Ecobank's tariff sheet gives ENGContactCentre@ecobank.com) or submit a written request at the branch. Banks commonly ask the sender to sign a request or indemnity before they pursue a recovery; Ecobank's public pages do not describe its form, so ask the branch which document it needs.
- Contact the recipient only if it is safe. If you know the person, ask them to return it. Do not send threats or share your banking details.
- Follow up. Ask for an update by the date the bank gives you.
What usually happens next
- Money still in recipient's account, recipient agrees
- The receiving bank debits it and returns it through the banks; this is the quickest outcome.
- Recipient refuses or cannot be reached
- The receiving bank may place a restriction while it investigates; recovery may need a court order or police involvement.
- Money already withdrawn
- Recovery depends on the recipient paying it back; banks will not refund you from their own funds for a sender's error.
- It was fraud, not a mistake
- Report it as fraud, not a wrong transfer, and ask for the fraud team; police reports may be requested.
Ecobank Xpress Point and Rapidtransfer cases
Two Ecobank services have their own rules. At an Xpress Point, Ecobank says the agent cannot reverse a transaction manually and must contact the bank, so call the contact centre with the agent name, agent ID and transaction number. For Rapidtransfer, Ecobank says the sender places a request at the sending branch; after due diligence only the principal is refunded, and some of that can be lost if the exchange rate has moved. Transfers authorised on the Rapidtransfer app cannot be cancelled.
If Ecobank does not resolve it
Keep every record: alerts, screenshots, the complaint reference and emails. If your complaint stalls, the CBN's consumer protection route for bank customers is set out in how to complain about a bank to the CBN. We have not confirmed Ecobank's internal resolution timeline on its own pages, so ask for it when you report.
If someone sends money to you by mistake
Do not spend it, and be wary of callers who pressure you to send it to a different account; it can be a scam. Tell Ecobank and let the banks return it. See someone sent money to your account by mistake.
How to avoid the next one
- Read the name the app shows for the account number before you approve. If it differs at all from the person you meant, stop.
- Save regular recipients as beneficiaries so you are not retyping numbers.
- For a large payment, send a small test amount first and ask the recipient to confirm it arrived.
- Copy account numbers from a message the recipient sent you rather than typing from memory or from a photo.
- Never send to an account given by a caller who says they are from the bank and that your money must be "moved for safety". That is a common script, not a bank process.
None of these steps takes long, and each one closes a gap that wrong transfers commonly slip through. A test transfer of a few hundred naira costs little next to the time a recovery can take.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme asks for your transaction PIN before any transfer moves, which is a last moment to check the account number; see sending money with Pryme. A verifiable receipt from VerifyDoc.ai can also help when you need to prove what you sent; see receipts.
Questions people ask
How do I reverse money sent to the wrong account on Ecobank?
Report it at once on 0700 500 0000, through live chat or at a branch, with the amount, date, recipient account and reference. Ecobank then asks the receiving bank to recover it.
Can Ecobank reverse a transfer without the receiver's consent?
Generally the receiving bank needs the recipient's cooperation or a lawful basis such as fraud or a court order to debit their account.
How long does Ecobank take to reverse a wrong transfer?
Ecobank does not publish a timeline on the pages we read. Ask for one when you report and keep your complaint reference.
Can an Ecobank agent reverse a wrong transaction?
No. Ecobank says Xpress Point agents must contact the bank; call the contact centre with the agent ID and transaction number.
Sources
- Ecobank Nigeria: Xpress Point (services, FAQs, contact centre) · accessed Oct 2026
- Ecobank Xpress Point tariff sheet (updated 12 Dec 2019) · accessed Oct 2026
- Ecobank Nigeria: Rapidtransfer (services and FAQs) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.