Consumer complaint received 2020-05-02
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC (NJ)

On Friday XX/XX/2020 I made a purchase on the website XXXX for {$290.00}. When I went to check out I was only given the option to use XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, or Zelle. I was unfamiliar with all of these payment methods, but signed up for XXXX XXXX and tried to transfer the payment. I had received an email stating that I should send a picture confirming my payment to an email address and then my order would be shipped. When I tried to transfer funds using XXXX XXXX it did not work so I decided not to proceed any further with the order. 

A few minutes later I received a text message from someone stating they were customer service for the website I had been using. They said the noticed I placed an online order but my payment had not gone through. I explained I tried to use XXXX XXXX, but for unknown reasons I could not transfer the payment. He suggested I use XXXX XXXX instead. I then download and try to transfer payment via XXXX XXXX, but again, the transfer would not go through. At this point the " customer service '' person suggest I use Zelle. 

I download Zelle and I am redirected to my own bank account app where I am then able to transfer the money to a new email address and contact. The payment goes through and I send a picture of my payment confirmation to all email addresses provided to me during this afternoon ( about 4 in total ). I text back the " customer service '' person and say the payment went through, he responds and says my order will be shipped in 48 hours. I receive no responses from 2 of the email addresses ( which appear to be personal email accounts ) and the 2 emails to the XXXX accounts are bounced back to me with a message saying these addresses are not in service. I never receive tracking information. 

I continue to email the 2 personal email accounts over the next few days ( XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XXXX ) and no response. I call and text the number that contacted me, no response. 

Finally, I realize I have been scammed. I look for similar experiences online and find a thread on XXXX describing exactly the same experience I had. So, I contact my bank. Since the Zelle app directed me to transfer money through my bank app I realize maybe I can reach out to my bank and try to at least report this scam and see what my options are for a refund, if any. At this point, I accept that I have unintentionally transferred money to a scammer and at the very least want to make sure this does not happen to anyone else. 

I call my bank ( XXXX XXXX ) on XX/XX/2020 and speak with a representative. I am told that there is nothing XXXX XXXX can do, as I willingly made the payment through Zelle, but they have heard of similar scams before. The representative says my only option is to contact Zelle. I attempt to contact Zelle, but their automated service says that if there are any issues with a payment my only recourse is to contact my bank and see if there is anything they can do. I am not even given the option of speaking to a representative. I go to the Zelle website and search through their information about fraud and scam. They claim there is nothing they can do and that if customers have this experience they should remember only to transfer money to family and friends. Both my bank and Zelle told me to contact the other for a solution that neither provided. 

I was misled to think that I was making a purchase through a trusted source. I understand that my ignorance about such scams led to this incident. I strongly believe there should be more regulation about this type of money transfer as well as more accountability and security regarding this type of scam. After sharing my experience with a friend who had a similar experience, it was suggested that I should file a complaint with Consumer Finance Protection Bureau to hopefully make others aware.