Until then, “the banks’ point of view was pretty much ‘sorry customer, it’s on you,’” she said. That guidance set off alarm bells among banks, said Deborah Baxley, a partner at PayGility Advisors, a consulting firm that specializes in the payments market. The regulator requires banks to reimburse customers for losses on transfers that were “initiated by a person other than the consumer without actual authority to initiate the transfer,” including those who obtain a victim’s device through fraud or robbery. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued detailed guidance to banks last year about what kinds of fraudulent losses they’re required to repay. But police reports and dispatches from industry analysts make it clear that the network has become a preferred tool for grifters like romance scammers, cryptocurrency con artists and those who prowl social media sites advertising concert tickets and purebred puppies - only to disappear with buyers’ cash after they pay. Banks say they take fraud seriously and are constantly making adjustments to improve security. It’s hard to tell exactly how much fraud takes place through Zelle because banks aren’t required to publicly report their losses. “Don’t hit the button to send this money unless you would hand this person $100 and walk away, because the moment you send it, it’s gone,” he said. He suggested that customers treat Zelle as they would cash. Peter Tapling, a former executive at Early Warning who is now a payments consultant, said banks haven’t done enough to educate customers about the risks of Zelle. Bill Halldin, a bank spokesman, said the decision was “based on new information” provided in late February. “Every response I got was useless.”Īfter The New York Times contacted Bank of America about Mr. “I filed grievances with every agency I could get my hands on, locally and nationally,” he said. Bank of America was essentially saying that the Zelle transactions were authorized - even if his phone was stolen. But it denied his claims for the Zelle thefts, saying the transactions were validated by authentication codes sent to a phone that had been previously used for that account. When he filed fraud reports, the bank quickly refunded his cash and credit card losses.

Barth has been a customer for more than 30 years. and used Zelle to make three transfers totaling $2,500.Īll three accounts were at Bank of America, where Mr. A thief got access to his digital wallet and ran up charges on his credit card, took out cash at an A.T.M. Barth was hospitalized with Covid-19 and his phone disappeared from his hospital room. “It’s like the banks have colluded with the sleazebags on the street to be able to steal,” said Bruce Barth, another victim. Faunce said the rep told him, because “many people were getting hit for thousands of dollars.” Faunce called Wells Fargo to report the crime, the customer service representative told him, “A lot of people are getting scammed on Zelle this way.” Getting ripped off for $500 was “actually really good,” Mr. The banks are aware of the widespread fraud on Zelle. “A couple years ago, we were just starting to talk about it” on apps like Zelle and Venmo, Mr. “Organized crime is rampant,” said John Buzzard, Javelin’s lead fraud analyst. Nearly 18 million Americans were defrauded through scams involving digital wallets and person-to-person payment apps in 2020, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, an industry consultant. There’s no way for customers - and in many cases, the banks themselves - to retrieve the money.

But once crooks scare or trick victims into handing over money via Zelle, they can siphon away thousands of dollars in seconds.

Other types of bank transfers or transactions involving payment cards typically take at least a day to clear. Zelle’s immediacy has also made it a favorite of fraudsters.

Pronlems with suntrust and zelle