I was accidentally paid by somebody I don’t know who wants me to pay the money back. Is this legit?

Very likely a scam. Especially since the same person sent $30 to multiple persons.

Per a search on what this may be:

If you receive an unknown Apple Cash payment from someone requesting a refund, be very cautious as this is likely a scam; it's a common tactic where scammers send you an inflated amount "accidentally" and then ask you to send back the excess, often using stolen credit card details which could leave you liable for the entire amount if you comply.

In other words, they're seeing how many people will give them $30 in real, non-refundable cash to cover the $30 they never legally had to send to you.

Great advice for the members posting above. It can be a way of money laundering and scamming in the process. Best way is to report to the bank and don’t touch the money ever.

Kurt Lang wrote:

In other words, they're seeing how many people will give them $30 in real, non-refundable cash to cover the $30 they never legally had to send to you.

Wow. I didn't even know that was a thing.

The sender is likely phishing for your personal information, needed in order for you to return the money. It sounds like a scam, especially since the banker said there were several instances of this.

I didn't either until I looked it up. That the bank said there were multiple $30 payments from the same person raised a big red flag. If I hadn't looked it up and had received such a payment, I probably would have refunded it without a second thought.

But, I don't have Apple Cash set up and never will, so I'll never see such a scam.

That’s unusual. In my experience, banks usually step in and handle the error. But obviously not all banks have the same protocols. Not reporting these errors is one way accounts get closed. It’s good that you documented your call. Always better safe than sorry.