31-year-old California Man Accidentally Donates Rs 12 Lakh Instead Of Rs 12,000 For Bangladesh Community

A typo by a California man while donating to a social cause caused a positive chain of events that has been documented by him on Reddit for the world to see. The man and his wife had recently relocated to a new apartment complex in San Francisco where they encountered a neighbor who happened to be a Hindu priest named Jeff Dunan, aged 77. During their conversation, Dunan shared about his involvement with an organisation called Bangladesh Relief, dedicated to assisting with food, clothing, and vital supplies to disadvantaged individuals in northern Bangladesh.

Intrigued by the cause, the man, Michael, aged 31, opted to contribute to Dunan’s GoFundMe initiative. After deliberation, he settled on a donation of $150 (Rs 12,432), deeming it an appropriate amount for support. Michael expressed his motivation, stating, “I believed in the cause and saw it as a neighbourly gesture.” He preferred to maintain anonymity, preferring the focus to remain on the cause rather than himself.

Just after he made his contribution to the GoFundMe campaign in February 2022, Michael swiftly received a notification from his credit card company flagging a remarkably large transaction. Upon opening the message, he discovered a staggering charge of $15,041 (Rs 12.46 lakh) from GoFundMe.

Soon, it all made sense. Michael’s credit card numbers started with four and one. He said, he accidentally began typing his credit card information while his cursor was still in the donation box. In a hurry, Michael dialled GoFundMe’s helpline and reported the accidental donation. He was relieved to hear that he would receive his money back for the incident in three to seven business days.

However, before he could be refunded, Michael began to receive numerous Facebook notifications and messages from Shohag Chandra, the programme manager of the charity based in Bangladesh, expressing immense gratitude for his significant donation. Michael recounted in a Reddit post, “The man had sent me a video of himself from Bangladesh, surrounded by dozens of impoverished and hungry people clutching bags of food, expressing their gratitude to me BY NAME.”

Micheal started feeling guilty about having to withdraw the hefty donation after seeing this. This is why once the original amount was reimbursed to him, he decided to donate $1,500 more to the cause, which he did. Micheal said Dunan and his colleagues in Bangladesh were still grateful for the sum he donated. Touched by Michael’s accidental donation and his subsequent attempts to make amends, a large number of people donated to the GoFundMe campaign. The impact of the initial goal was increased as many people chose to donate themselves in appreciation of his deed of kindness.