Report to Zelle

• Payments sent to someone who turned out to be an imposter
• Unauthorized Zelle payments made by someone who got into your account
• Goods and services paid for with Zelle that never arrived
• Phishing that used the Zelle name to reach your banking login

1. 1

   Report it to your bank or credit union first

   If you are enrolled in Zelle through your bank, Zelle tells you to report the transaction directly to that bank. Use the bank's own fraud number, never one from a message. Chase is 1-800-935-9935 option 8, Bank of America 800-432-1000, Wells Fargo 1-866-867-5568.

2. 2

   Say whether it was fraud or a scam

   Zelle calls it fraud when someone got into your account and sent a payment without your permission. It calls it a scam when you sent the money yourself and did not get what you expected. Banks route the two differently, so use the word that fits.

3. 3

   Ask specifically about imposter-scam reimbursement

   Zelle requires participating banks to reimburse customers for certain qualifying imposter scams. Those are payments you authorised after someone posed as your bank, a government agency or another trusted party. It goes beyond what the law requires, and you have to ask for it by name.

4. 4

   Use zelle.com only if you have no bank behind it

   Zelle's own page at zelle.com/support/report-scam covers people using the standalone app rather than a bank. It is not a second attempt at a case your bank has already handled.

5. 5

   Report it to the FTC as well

   Zelle points people to the FTC's Fraud Victim Assistance Department on (877) 438-4337. It also names the FTC and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center for scams and identity theft.

• The date, amount and recipient of the payment
• The email address or phone number you sent it to
• The messages that led to the payment, especially any that impersonated your bank
• Whether you or someone else started it, which decides how the claim is handled

An unauthorized payment is the stronger claim, and your bank handles it under its normal fraud rules. A payment you sent yourself is harder. Zelle transfers are near-instant and carry no built-in buyer protection, so recovery depends on a recall the recipient's bank does not have to honour. The imposter-scam reimbursement rule is the other route, if your case qualifies. Reporting the same day improves both.