HOUSTON – A Houston-area single mom, Cindy Little, has become a victim of a Zelle scam, losing nearly $8,000 from her bank account.
Despite reporting the fraud to Chase Bank, she has received no assistance in recovering the funds.
The ordeal began when Cindy received an alert on her phone notifying her that an unknown recipient had been added to her Zelle account. Shockingly, $1,000 had already been withdrawn without her knowledge. Fortunately, Chase Bank acknowledged the fraud and promptly returned the money.
However, the nightmare repeated itself a month later.
Cindy received a text message stating that she had approved a transaction to an unfamiliar individual. Distressed, she immediately contacted Chase Bank and pleaded for her account to be locked down. But over the next three days, the scam artists managed to continuously hack into Cindy’s Zelle account, draining a total of $7,900. Even more shocking, these transactions occurred after Cindy had already reported the fraudulent activity.
Cindy took matters into her own hands and filed a criminal case with the Houston Police Department, as well as lodged complaints with the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission. However, her claim was rejected by Chase Bank, who accused her of orchestrating the scam herself and denied any fraudulent activity.
In her pursuit of justice, Cindy caught the attention of KPRC 2′s Bill Spencer. With his help, Cindy’s case has been brought to the attention of Chase officials for further investigation.
To prevent others from falling victim to Zelle fraudsters, cyber detective Coleman Ryan advises enabling two-step verification or multifactor verification. By using this extra layer of security, users can protect themselves from unauthorized access to their Zelle accounts.
As Cindy continues to fight for justice, her story serves as a reminder for everyone to remain vigilant against scams and take necessary precautions to safeguard their finances.