Consumer complaint received 2025-09-04 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call on my office line from a number displayed as XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). I was on another call and did not answer, but shortly after, I received the same call on my cell phone. When I answered, the caller identified themselves as a representative from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Department, Zelle Division. 

I questioned the legitimacy of the call and performed a reverse lookup of the number. It showed as being associated with XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. To further confirm, while speaking with the caller, I dialed the same number from another line and reached the official XXXX automated system, which gave me confidence at that moment that the call was authentic. 

The individual informed me that there were XXXX pending Zelle transactions on my account : {$2000.00} to a recipient named XXXX XXXX in Maryland {$1500.00} to the same recipient I expressed concern that these transactions were not visible on my account, but the caller claimed they were flagged on the back end and had not yet processed. I was given case numbers for both transactions and instructed to add a recipient linked to XXXX within my Zelle app. They explained that by entering a code and a {$5000.00} daily limit, this would prevent any additional transactions for the day. I was assured that this was only a security measure and no funds would actually be sent. 

The caller also provided me with a number for a police report and instructed me to log out of my account and not log back in. At this point, I realized this was likely a scam. Unfortunately, {$5000.00} was withdrawn from my account, which is a significant loss for a small business owner. 

I immediately contacted XXXX and Zelle, but neither has taken responsibility or provided assistance in recovering the funds. Zelle refers me back to XXXX, and XXXX claims that Zelle is a third-party service outside of their control. This is extremely concerning, as Zelle is integrated within my XXXX account, and I believed it to be a trusted and secure platform. 

What is even more troubling is that when I later called XXXX, I reached an actual XXXX representative. However, when I explained the situation, they claimed they had no record of that phone number in their systemeven though that is the number I dialed to reach them. This raises serious concerns about spoofed or compromised phone lines that mimic Chases official systems. 

I respectfully request your assistance in holding XXXX and/or Zelle accountable for this matter and ensuring a thorough investigation of this phone number and the security vulnerabilities that allowed this fraud to occur. Consumers should not be left without protection when using a service that is promoted as secure and is integrated directly within their banks platform. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any additional details, documentation, or evidence from me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation