Customers conned on Zelle app lose thousands: How to protect yourself from being scammed

Zelle payment app customers are new targets for scammers who are claiming to be bank employees aiming to con you out of thousands of dollars. 

One woman in D.C. said she lost $3,500 after a scammer claimed that money was taken from her account and she needed to reverse the transaction.

Credible.com personal finance expert told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” that victims have little protection against these scams. 

He warned that scammers will text or call Zelle customers, impersonating the company through a variety of methods, including spoofing phone numbers, claiming that your account has been compromised, or payment did not go through. Once the scammers get the customers on the phone, they already have certain personal information and will ask to reverse a transaction.

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“And that’s where… [it] gets a little bit interesting,” he said. “Because at that point, you’re essentially authorizing the transaction. And therefore, Zelle takes the position, at least now that since you’ve authorized the transaction, it’s not fraud and you’re liable.” 

However, all is not lost. Roccato said one way to protect yourself is by never responding to a request for your bank information.

“If you get one of these spoof calls, and it looks like it’s legit coming from your bank, don’t respond,” he pointed out.

Instead, Roccato suggested calling the “authorized” number on the back of your debit card. 

“Call them and tell them exactly what’s happening, and we’ll figure out the things… scam or not,” he said. 

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