Consumer complaint received 2021-08-10
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: IL
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
I was frauded out of the following Zelle payments for a good never received. Payment of {$980.00} on XX/XX/2021, {$1700.00} on XX/XX/2021, and {$910.00} on XX/XX/2021. 
I was told by a XXXX customer service employee that there are times that XXXX has reversed Zelle payments sent, but the reversal is time-sensitive and must be done right away. I did not get the option to reverse/cancel the charges because Zelle would not assist me because I made the Zelle payment via XXXX portal, and XXXX fraud department was closed Saturday and Sunday. By the time I called back during XXXX  fraud business hours, I was informed it was too late and to file a police report, which I did. 
I have documentation of XXXX customer services stating months after the fraud took place that they, as a courtesy, attempted to recover the funds, their attempts were unsuccessful. - If Zelle would have attempted to help me the day the transactions were made or if XXXX XXXX fraud department had been open over the weekend, took my call, and offered me a courtesy attempt to recover the funds, I would not be in this situation. 
Insurance policies cover XXXX. If I fell asleep with candles burning and the candles catch my drapes on fire, in turn, burns the house down, I'm covered up to my limits. Why does XXXX offer their customers Zelle if the same XXXX credit card protection doesn't insure their customers? I was scammed. I lost thousands of dollars because I purchased a good that was never delivered. My loss was not intentional. My claim/complaint is XXXX offered me Zelle, and neither company provided me with adequate warnings that the transaction wasn't insured. It is not enough to give critical information that Zelle transactions are not insured buried in a dense mailer or easily clickable scroll-down terms. I am an average person, and I did not receive an understandable, visible warning. 
I feel XXXX and Zelle should be held liable for offering a platform for criminals to fraud their customers. The crime occurred via XXXX portal using the Zelle service. I'm one of the thousands of people who have come forward to tell their Zelle fraud heartbreak. By providing XXXX customers the option to send money via Zelle, XXXX has allowed these sorts of crimes to happen on their platform, their watch. These crimes carry with them a substantial risk of great public harm. The financial losses caused by Zelle fraud have caught the interest of our government. It is my opinion that it's a matter of time that the government holds Zelle and their providers liable by indicting the corporation that has provided the platform. 
XXXX and Zelle are aware of the obscene amount of fraud taking place via Zelle. XXXX and Zelle knowingly and intentionally are benefiting from their partnership at the cost of their customers. 
XXXX and Zelle should be held liable for a failure to provide adequate warnings on a product that has caused their customers to suffer mental and financial injury as a result. 
I had no idea sending money via Zelle was a risk. XXXX must be aware that a large percentage of their customers do not read the entirety of pages of terms provided in small print for review. XXXX must have known that some customers would misuse Zelle in a predictable way because of the similarity to XXXX, a service that allows you to send money via email. Unlike Zelle, XXXX offers consumers to dispute charges, and XXXX has the power to refund transactions for a good never received. 
XXXX and Zelle failed me and many others by not providing ample warning of the consequences of the predictable misuse. The risks of that use were not obvious, and I will continue to pursue XXXX and Zelle for a failure to warn me. If XXXX can be sued for providing a platform for criminal activity, then why can't XXXX be held liable for providing a platform for criminal activity?

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation