Consumer complaint received 2022-06-22
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: MO
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2022, I listed a TV for sale on XXXX XXXX. A woman messaged me on XXXX telling me she would like to purchase the TV. We set up a meeting spot, and then I proceeded to ask her how she would like to pay. She said she would like to use Zelle. The woman claimed to have sent me the {$170.00} payment for the TV. I did not receive any money. 

I got an email in my spam inbox stating, " Dear customer, Unfortunately, we encountered a little problem while crediting your account with {$170.00} USD today because this amount seems to be above your balance limit. 
Why do I need to expand my account? 
We place initial limits on all accounts to increase the security precaution and help prevent any fraudulent activities. Take these urgent steps to expand your limits and receive unlimited money. 
How do I expand my account- Action needed.

ContacXXXX XXXX XXXX to send an additional payment of {$200.00} for your account to be fully expanded. Soon as this is done we will credit the total sum of {$370.00} USD with a free compensation fee of {$50.00} for the inconvenience caused. 
____________________________________________________________ NOTE : An alert has been sent to XXXX XXXX in regards to the {$200.00} additional payment she has to send you, we will secure this transaction with high priority whereby the buyer nor the seller will lose a dime. '' With this, I messaged the woman again on XXXX. She said she received a similar email and that she was going to send the extra {$200.00}. She said she sent the {$200.00}, but, again, I did not receive any money. I then received this email after she said she had done that : " We congratulate you for successfully upgrading your account to a Business User which gives you Unlimited Access to receive any amount of money from now on.

REAL TIME PAYMENT PROTECTION For your account to be credited fully with the sum of {$420.00} USD. You are required to refund back {$200.00} USD to XXXX XXXX as to secure the additional sent to expand your account. 

transfers Below Is The Instructions To Receive Your Funds : Send the sum of {$200.00} to XXXX XXXX account via Zelle to secure this transaction. 
Take a picture of the {$200.00} payment and reply to this email. 
Instant {$420.00} will reflect in your Zelle account, when we confirm the {$200.00} refund you're sending to XXXX XXXX. 
The buyer will also get credited with {$50.00} from Zelle. '' Again, at this point, I have not received any money. I then went ahead and sent {$200.00} to the woman through Zelle. She claimed that the email and name she gave me to send the money to was her husband. 

At this point in time, {$200.00} has been taken out of my bank account. The woman said she received the money. Then, I received another email. It said the following : " Hello, XXXX XXXX Congratulations on your end and this is to inform you that your funds had been approved and we are really sorry for the inconvenience but there is one final step to take so your account will be fixed instantly and you wont have to go through this issue anymore. 
In order to get the full total $ XXXX transferred into your Zelle account, you are hereby to pay the Tax & Vat fee of $ XXXX for the processing of your funds, and the fee represents the approval of your funds and also stands as insurance to your business account, the money will be added to your pending funds and you will be credited fully with the sum of $ XXXX which also includes a compensation fee typically in XXXX minutes. 

Zelle XXXX : XXXX : XXXX -Name : XXXX XXXX Immediately the Tax & Vat fee is sent to the provided Zelle details above, you take SCREENSHOT proof of it and reply back for your account to be fully credited with the total sum of $ XXXX to be credited into your account. Thanks for your understanding XXXX XXXX and we are really sorry for the inconvenience and you can make any transaction in your account when everything get fixed as soon as we confirm the payment. '' After receiving this email I became more suspicious and decided not to send another {$200.00}. I then proceeded to call my bank, XXXX XXXX. 

With the first call with XXXX XXXX, I talked to a customer service representative and she forwarded me onto Zelle 's customer service. Here, I was unable to speak with anyone directly as the system was completely automated. I hung up and called XXXX XXXX  again. This time, I spoke to a new agent and she filed a claim for a fraudulent transaction. I was then told that the likelihood of getting my money back is slim to none. I am reaching out here to try and rectify the situation and hopefully get my money back.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation