BANK of America has warned of a scam that targets customers using the Zelle app because thousands of people in the US have lost money to scammers.
The crooks are targeting the victims by sending an SMS masquerading as Bank of America and issuing a fake “fraud alert” indicating that a $ 3,500 transaction has been attempted on Zelle.
One of the victims, a San Francisco area school nurse named Page Pollack, said she was targeted as she tried to get students back to school safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fraudsters targeted Pollack on her way to the airport in July, she told KGO-TV.
“3,500 is a lot of money for me,” she said.
The text message she received read, “Bank of America Fraud Alert – Have you attempted a Zelle transaction for $ 3,500?” Answer yes of no or 1 to decline fraud alerts. “
“I saw Bank of America on caller ID, so I was like, ‘OK, this is legitimate,'” Pollack said at the point of sale.
She said she answered “no” and immediately received a call. Caller ID said it was Bank of America.
Pollack explained that the man in line told him to press several buttons on the Zelle app and then put it on hold.
“At that point, I was in a panic because I had to get to the plane,” she said.
“My flight was leaving and something [about the call] just wasn’t sitting with me. “
It turns out that Pollack is one of the thousands targeted by fraudsters posing as Bank of America.
The crooks were able to withdraw $ 3,500 from his account using Zelle.
Bank of America initially denied its fraud claim, but eventually Pollack was able to recover $ 3,500.
The bank has since issued a warning that it will never call a customer and ask them to stop the fraud using the Zelle money app or any other transfer.
If you receive a call, Bank of America has instructed its customers to call them directly using the number on the back of your debit card or bank statement.
Customers should also avoid responding directly to text messages.
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