News and Alerts

These news reports from Consumer Rescue provide alerts and information to consumers concerning products, and scams, with useful advice and tips.

Consumer alert about the fake job scam on LinkedIn, Zelle job scam, scammers lurking on LinkedIn offering jobs that don't exist.

How a fake job scam on LinkedIn cost a college student $9,000

by

Could you fall for a fake job scam?

If you’re like Sam Erin, you probably answered “no!” She’s a college-educated young adult who was sure she knew how to spot a con game. That is until a phony employment crime ring preyed on her naivety and stole nearly $9,000 from her.

Now, after draining her bank account, the scammers have vanished, leaving Erin jobless and cashless. She’s hoping our advocacy team can help. But how?

If a stranger sends you money, should you keep it? This Zelle user wishes he had.

Surprise! A stranger just sent money to you through Zelle. Now what?

by

If a stranger sends you money by mistake, do you have any obligation to give it back? If so, how do you do it without exposing yourself to a scam? And if you transfer money to the wrong person using Zelle, is there any possible way to fix your mistake?

These are not uncommon dilemmas faced by users of cash apps like Zelle and Venmo in 2022. Along with the increasing popularity and convenience of instant money transfer services came a dramatic rise in pricey user errors. Unfortunately, our attempts to investigate and resolve many of these cases have exposed some disturbing flaws in the programs.

Minh Tran is just one of the many desperate Zelle users who’ve recently asked our team for help. In his case, a stranger’s mistake set off a frustrating and confusing chain of events that almost cost him $360.

Zelle mistakes, Zelle errors. Sending money to the wrong person by mistake with the Zelle app. Fixing Zelle problems.

What can you do if you sent money to a stranger by mistake?

by

What if you sent $500 to the wrong person by mistake and that person refused to give back your money? That’s the shocking situation in which Rossin Asilo recently found herself.

Using the money transfer app Zelle for the first time, Asilo made a simple typo entering her friend’s phone number. That error dropped the cash intended for a memorial donation into the wrong person’s bank account. Unfortunately, that stranger appears to view the transaction as a $500 windfall and will not return the money.

Now Asilo is hoping that our advocacy team can find a way to get her money back. But that request might just prove to be an impossible task.

Here are six Zelle scams you should know about now!

Here are six Zelle scams that will quickly drain your bank account!

by

Zelle users, beware: Scammers are aiming their sights right at you. It’s true – the money transfer service has quickly become the preferred method of thieves everywhere looking for instant cash. In fact, I receive daily pleas for help from bewildered victims of these Zelle scams.

Here are six of the latest Zelle scams that you should know about in 2022.

Don't fall for this vacation rental scam -- never use Zelle to pay.

How to easily lose $500 to a vacation rental scam? Pay with Zelle

by

Falling for a vacation rental scam surely is not at the top of your list of things to do this summer. It certainly wasn’t in Don Boyk’s plans. But that’s exactly what happened when a thief disguised as a Vrbo host persuaded him to send a $500 deposit via Zelle.

His cash was soon in the hands of the scammer and Vrbo informed him the listing was fraudulent. 

Now Don hopes we can find a way to save him from this vacation rental scam and retrieve his money.

But if a consumer uses Zelle to send cash to a stranger, is there any way to get it back?