I Got Scammed on Zelle—Can I Get My Money Back?

Did You Get Scammed on Zelle?

Toni Landi was quick to answer the phone when her caller ID showed “PNC Bank” — the name of her bank [*]. And when the caller claimed to be from the bank’s fraud department, calling about a suspicious $1,000 Zelle transfer from her account, Toni didn't hesitate to follow his instructions. 

The only way to reverse the charge, she was told, was to go into her Zelle account and send $1,000 to an account that the caller provided. Toni was suspicious, but the caller knew her personal information — such as her full name and address — and insisted she act quickly. 

So she did — unknowingly sending her money straight to scammers.

Zelle scams like this one are among the fastest-growing crimes in America. Zelle handled over 705 million transactions just in the second quarter in 2023 [*].

In fact, Zelle transactions outpace checks written by Bank of America clients by 2x [*]. While Zelle adoption has grown, so has fraud and scams on the peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app.

After persistent reports from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers, it was in June 2023 that participating banks began reversing fraudulent transactions [*]. Prior to this, less than 2% of impostor scam victims were reimbursed.

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Will Zelle Refund Money If You’ve Been Scammed?

In most cases, the answer is no. 

P2P payment apps like Zelle (along with Cash App and Venmo) treat transactions like cash — meaning there’s no way to cancel a Zelle payment once it’s been sent. 

Even worse, unlike other payment apps such as Venmo, Zelle doesn’t offer any form of payment protection. This means that even if you send money for a product which never arrives, you have no official recourse.

And if you are scammed, banks often deny claims, stating that they’re not covered by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (more commonly known as Regulation E) — the federal law that covers electronic transfers.

Banks will only step in if there was an unauthorized payment disbursed from your account — for example, if cybercriminals stole your Zelle account password in a phishing scam and sent payments to another account that they control.

However, the policy change from June 2023 now requires Zelle's 2,100 bank and credit union participants to reimburse qualifying imposter scam victims.

The odds of recovering lost money on Zelle may be slim especially since the company instructs users to only make transfers to known contacts.

How To Get Your Money Back From Zelle If You Were Scammed

If you’ve been scammed on Zelle, or if you sent money to the wrong person, here’s what you can do to try and get your money back.

Note: These steps apply mainly to people using the stand-alone Zelle app. If you’re using Zelle through your bank’s mobile app, the steps may vary. 

1. File a fraud claim with your financial institution under Regulation E

Fraudulent Zelle transactions can be refunded. 

While you might think that losing money to a Zelle scam is an obvious form of fraud, you will find that banks, Zelle, and the law think differently. 

According to Zelle’s policy — as well as Regulation E — for a transaction to be determined as “fraudulent,” it must be:

• An unauthorized transfer — for example, if someone steals your phone and accesses your Zelle account. 
• An incorrect electronic transfer from or to your account — for example, if you mistype the phone number or email address of the person to whom you meant to send money. 
• A miscalculation made by the financial institution — for example, if you meant to send $10, but a Zelle error caused $100 to be sent instead. 

If you lost money because of one of these reasons, or think that you should be covered, you can contact your financial institution and ask about a Regulation E dispute.

You typically have 60 days from the date of your last statement to make the claim. You’ll also most likely be asked to supply a written statement of events as well as other information, including:

• Your account number.
• Details of the unauthorized transactions and errors (types, amounts, dates, and transaction numbers).
• A timeline of your dispute — such as when your statement that reflected the unauthorized transaction was sent, and the date when you first notified the bank.
• The type of resolution that you are requesting.

Banks have 45 calendar days to investigate claims and two days to provide provisional crediting. 

2. Ask the recipient for a refund

If you technically didn’t lose money to a fraudulent transaction, then there are only three scenarios in which you’ll be able to recover lost funds on Zelle:

1. The recipient agrees to send the money back to you. 
2. You manage to cancel a transaction that hasn’t been accepted.
3. You successfully dispute the transaction with Zelle or your bank. 

Your first step will always be to try and get the person to send back the money that you transferred to them. 

Here’s what to do:

• Open the Zelle app (or your bank’s mobile app) and tap “Request.”
• Look for the contact information of the person to whom you sent money. 
• Enter the amount of money that you want to request. 
• Include a note.
• Tap “Request” (or confirm).

You’ll be notified in the app (or via email) if the person denies the request. 

3. Try to cancel the payment

In the unlikely chance that the person to whom you sent money hasn’t yet enrolled in Zelle, you may be able to cancel the transfer. 

Here’s what to do: 

• Open the Zelle app or your mobile bank’s Zelle tab. 
• Find the payment that you want to cancel. 
• Tap “Cancel This Payment.” 
• The payment will then be refunded back via your original payment method.

4. Contact Zelle support and report the scam

If you’re unable to cancel the transaction or get the scammer to send your money back, you should still report the scam to Zelle’s customer support. 

Zelle explicitly states that they “are unable to assist with getting your money back.” However, reporting the scam will help them identify future scams and alert Zelle about the scam user. 

Use this online form to report the scam, and include as much information as possible. You can also report online fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

5. Report the fraud to your bank and request a chargeback

You may have better luck interfacing with your bank’s fraud department than directly with Zelle. In some cases — such as qualifying imposter scams — you may even be able to request a chargeback and recover your lost funds. 

Here’s what to do:

• Contact your financial institution’s fraud department, either by using their official phone number or their mobile banking app. 
• Explain that you’ve been the victim of a scam and want to try to request a chargeback. 
• Provide details of the scam as well as the transaction (time and date, amount, recipient’s information, etc.). 
• Ask them to investigate. You may need to send them your evidence as well as a written request. 
• If they won’t investigate or are slow to respond, you can report them to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

6. File a police report

Your financial institution may require a police report before they move forward with an investigation. 

Contact your local law enforcement’s non-emergency line (i.e., not 911) and ask for their fraud department. Explain what happened, and tell them the steps that you’ve already taken. Provide as much information as you can about the fraud and how it occurred. 

The police will create a file that you can reference when you continue trying to get your money back.

⛳️ Related: How To Spot a Citibank Phishing Email (With Examples) →

7. Report and block the Zelle scammer 

To stop further scams or harassment, you should also block the user in the Zelle app. Bear in mind that you can only block users on the official Zelle app — not via your bank’s mobile app. 

Here’s what to do: 

• Open the settings tab (the gear icon at the bottom of your screen).
• Select Privacy Settings and then Block Requests.
• Choose the user you want to block. They don’t need to be in your contacts.
• Tap Confirm.

Once users are blocked, they won’t show up in your network, be able to find you on Zelle, or send money requests or payments. 

⛳️ Related: Wells Fargo Customer? Beware Of These 6 Scams →

8. Freeze your credit

If you’ve given any sensitive information to a scammer, you’ll want to freeze your credit. 

Fraudsters use information such as your name, Social Security number (SSN), or bank account information to open new accounts or take out loans in your name. 

A credit freeze stops anyone from accessing your credit report and opening new accounts in your name. 

To freeze your credit, contact each of the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — and request a credit freeze.

9. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tracks and reports on scams. If you’ve lost money or given up sensitive information that could be used for identity theft — such as your name,  address, credit card number, Social Security number (SSN), etc. — you should report it to the FTC.

Report the scam to official government authorities by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP or by visiting ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

⛳️ Related: Do Banks Refund Scammed Money? →

10. Consider signing up for a digital security solution

In the best case scenario, you’ll only lose a small amount of money to a Zelle scam. But if scammers have your personal information, the consequences could be worse. 

Fraudsters use your personal information for identity theft — which can cause serious damage to your credit, identity, and reputation. 

Aura’s all-in-one digital security solution monitors your most sensitive information while also proactively protecting you from identity theft and fraud. 

• 24/7 credit monitoring with 250x faster fraud alerts. Aura monitors your bank, credit, and investment accounts in near real-time for signs of fraud. If anything suspicious is detected, Aura will alert you up to 250x faster than the competition³. 
• A secure password manager that warns you if your accounts are compromised. Aura scans the Dark Web as well as recent data breaches to see if your usernames and passwords have been leaked. If your passwords are found online, Aura will alert you and then help you replace them with new, more secure passwords that you can manage with a single click (so that you don’t ever have to worry about remembering them). 
• Antivirus and a VPN to keep your devices safe from hackers. Hackers can come after your money transfer apps and devices. Aura’s antivirus software and virtual private network (VPN) ensure that your devices and networks are secured against hacking.
• $1,000,000 insurance coverage for eligible losses due to identity theft. If the worst should happen, you have 24/7 access to a team of fraud resolution specialists as well as insurance protection that covers damages caused by identity theft.

How To Secure Your Zelle Account Against Scammers

Even if you go through all of these steps, there’s no guarantee that you’ll recover lost funds.

Here’s how you can secure your Zelle account and avoid fraud in the future:

• Use strong and unique passwords for your Zelle and online banking accounts. Passwords are often your first and only defense against hacking and many other types of scams. Use a password that is at least 10 characters long and includes a combination of upper and lower-case letters, symbols, and numbers. 
• Secure your phone with biometric security measures. Make sure criminals can’t access your Zelle account if they steal or find your phone. Set up biometric factors such as facial recognition or fingerprint ID, and set your phone to auto-lock after 30 seconds or less. 
• Add multi-factor authentication to your account (MFA). Multi or two-factor authentication (2FA) requires a special code along with your password to log in to your account. Set up 2FA on all accounts that allow it. For added security, use an authenticator app rather than SMS. 
• Sign up for text or email alerts on your account. Most banks and credit unions offer transaction notifications. Sign up for these, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Aura can also monitor your bank, credit, and investment accounts and alert you of any potentially fraudulent activity.

• Learn the warning signs of a phishing attack. Zelle scams almost always start with a fraudulent email, text message, or phone call. Familiarize yourself with the warning signs of phishing emails, fake text messages, and phone scams.
• Never give away your personal information or Zelle login information. Zelle and bank employees will never ask you for passwords, PINs, or 2FA codes. If someone calls or asks for this information, it’s a scam. 
• Protect yourself against hackers. Scammers can spy on you over public Wi-Fi or hack your devices to gain access to your Zelle and bank accounts. Aura’s powerful antivirus software and military-grade VPN can protect you against hackers. 
• Only send money to people you know. Zelle is safest when you use it only with friends and family. Don’t send money to strangers, and always double-check account information before you hit “Send.”

⛳️ Related: The 7 Latest Chase Bank Scams (and How To Avoid Them) →

The Bottom Line: Secure Your Zelle Account Against Scammers

Zelle (and its parent company, Early Warning Services) are owned by some of the biggest banks in America — including Wells Fargo, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, and Bank of America. But don’t let the payment service’s credentials distract you from the red flags of a Zelle scam. 

While it hurts to get scammed out of money, the consequences can be much worse if you accidentally give fraudsters easy access to your identity and other financial accounts. 

Don’t become a repeat victim of fraud and scams. Instead, let Aura monitor and protect your sensitive information, assets, and accounts from criminals. 

Keep your finances and identity secure. Try Aura free for 14 days →