Zelle mistake spells instant financial disaster, struggling college student Zelles the wrong person

A struggling student made a $2,500 Zelle mistake. Can we fix this?

College student Shlome Goldenberg made a shockingly expensive but not at all uncommon, Zelle mistake recently. While attempting to repay a loan to a friend, he sent $2,500 to a complete stranger by accident. Worse, when he asked Chase Bank to refund the payment, he learned for the first time that voluntary Zelle transactions aren’t reversible. 

A coffee plantation in Bali, growing coffee beans, buying coffee beans, getting scammed at the coffee plantation.

This traveler didn’t buy $4,800 of coffee beans. Or did he?

Simon Khin is a victim of a scam aimed at international travelers. He’s sure of it. While touring a Balinese coffee plantation, he bought two small tins of fresh beans for $48. He didn’t think much about that purchase until several weeks later. That’s when his Capital One statement revealed that the merchant had actually charged his credit card $4,800.

But the worst was yet to come.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Solving cruise ship passenger problems, Cruise fiascos and fixes

Where are the earrings I bought on my Royal Caribbean cruise? Help!

While jewelry shopping aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, cruise passenger Robin White purchased a beautiful pair of earrings. The gems were to be shipped directly to her home in time for her wedding day, which was just weeks away.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and White walked down the aisle in an alternative pair of earrings. So what happened to the $1,600 baubles that she bought?

Zelle scammers, Zelle scam alert, consumer advocate fights scams, Michelle Couch-Friedman

7 Zelle scams that will quickly drain your bank account!

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 seven of the latest Zelle scams that you should know about in 2024.

Medicare 101, taking notes in class, a notebook, pen and glasses on a desk

Approaching 65? Here’s your Medicare 101 crash course

What if you had to make a healthcare decision that could affect the rest of your life?

That’s not a hypothetical question if you’re 65 and about to go on Medicare. Every day another 10,000 Americans turn 65 and need to make critical decisions regarding how they structure their healthcare going forward.

But Medicare comes with complicated rules that can be confusing and can lead to problems if ignored or misunderstood. It’s important that you make informed choices.

Read on as I take you through a simplified Medicare 101.

Swiss Air denied boarding aircraft mistake, refused boarding this aircraft, SWISS, Swiss Air International, airplane in the sky

Swiss Air denied boarding to me by mistake. Who will pay for this?

Stepping up to the Swiss Air check-in counter at Newark International, Zivia Berkowitz didn’t expect any problems. She was excitedly on her way to join an expedition team to hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

At least, that was the plan. But that isn’t what happened. Swiss Air denied boarding to Berkowitz – she says by mistake. So, instead of flying to Africa, she spent the night in an airport hotel scrambling to find last-minute replacement flights.

A doctor's office for elderly people on Medicare.

I have Medicare drug insurance. Why did I get this $2,055 bill?!

After Michael Foxhoven learned that Medicare covers shingles and Tdap vaccinations, he made appointments for both himself and his wife at their doctor’s office. Since they were due for a Covid booster, they figured they could also get that out of the way in the same visit.

But a few months after that appointment, Foxhoven got the sticker shock of his life. That’s when he received a $2,055 bill for the vaccinations that he thought Medicare would cover.

So why didn’t it?

The answer will probably surprise you.