Micro deposits are small, typically very low-value amounts of money that are transferred into a bank account, often for the purpose of verifying account ownership or confirming banking details. These deposits are commonly used in processes like:
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Account verification: When you link an external account (e.g., a savings or checking account) to a service (like a payment processor, mobile wallet, or financial app), the service might deposit a small amount of money (often just a few cents) into your account. You would then need to verify the amounts to prove you own the account.
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Fraud prevention: Some financial institutions or services use micro deposits to check for fraud or ensure that the account being linked is legitimate.
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Bank account linking for direct deposits: If you set up direct deposits for your paycheck or other payments, a company might use micro deposits to confirm that your bank account is correctly set up to receive payments.
The process generally works like this:
- The service or financial institution makes one or more small deposits into your account.
- You check your account balance to confirm the exact amounts.
- You enter those amounts on the service’s platform to verify your account.
The value of these deposits is usually only a few cents (e.g., $0.01 to $1.00), and the process might take a couple of days to complete.