Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

Zelle Refund Scam Message - Protect Yourself
Zelle Refund Scam Message - Protect Yourself

If you receive a message about a "Zelle refund," it is likely a scam designed to trick you into sending your own money to a fraudster. These messages often claim a payment was made by mistake or that your account has a problem requiring a "refund" to fix

Refund Scams

  • The Accidental Payment: A stranger sends you money "by accident" and then messages you asking for a refund. They often use a stolen credit card or hacked account to send the initial funds. Once you "refund" them with your own money, the original fraudulent payment is eventually clawed back by the bank, leaving you out of pocket.
  • The Overpayment Scam: A "buyer" (often on Facebook Marketplace) sends a fake confirmation showing they paid too much for an item you're selling. They then pressure you to refund the "excess" amount immediately.
  • The Service Refund: Scammers pose as utility companies or service providers claiming you overpaid and they need your Zelle or bank details to "issue your refund".
  • The Recovery Scam: If you've already been scammed, someone may contact you claiming they can recover your lost funds for a fee. This is a follow-up scam to steal even more money.

Red Flags

  • Urgency: Messages that demand immediate action to "cancel a fraud charge" or "fix your account".
  • Requests to "Send Money to Yourself": A common tactic where scammers claim you are paying your own account to "verify" it, but the money actually goes to them.
  • Suspicious Sender Details: Emails that don't end in @Zelle.com or @Zellepay.com, or texts from standard 10-digit phone numbers instead of official shortcodes.
  • Grammar and Spelling Errors: Official bank communications rarely contain glaring typos or poor formatting.

Received a Message

  1. Do Not Send Money Back: If you receive an unexpected payment, do not manually "refund" it.
  2. Contact Your Bank Directly: Call the official fraud number on the back of your debit card or from your bank's official website. Do not use any phone numbers provided in the suspicious message.
  3. Report the Scam: Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) and report the incident through the Zelle Report a Scam form or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
  4. Ignore and Block: If you haven't lost money yet, block the number and do not engage with the sender.
waiting