Consumer complaint received 2025-08-23 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other service problem — 
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
My name is XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX. I had a problem where Zelle would not refund my money. {$5000.00} the money was sent fraud. and Zelle said their was nothing the. can do. I am requesting my money back in according with the judgement from the CFPB against Zelle. In accordance with this. case : onsumer Financial Protection Bureau UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR XXXX XXXX XXXX ARIZONA Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Plaintiff, v. 
Early Warning Services , LLC ; XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
Defendants. 
Case No : COMPLAINT FOR PERMANENT INJUNCTION, MONETARY JUDGMENT, CIVIL PENALTY JUDGMENT, AND OTHER RELIEF XXXX Case XXXX Document XXXX Filed XX/XX/XXXX Page XXXX of XXXX The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( Bureau ) brings this action against Defendants Early Warning Services , LLC ( EWS ), XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ( XXXX XXXX ) ( collectively, Defendants, and without EWS, Defendant Banks ) and alleges as follows : INTRODUCTION 1. Peer-to-peer platforms allow for the transfer of money almost instantaneously. 
Consumers can typically send money for free, making it an attractive method for transferring money to others. These types of payments first emerged in the late XXXX, but the number of users and transaction volume has grown exponentially in recent years. 
XXXX. By XXXX, a number of peer-to-peer platforms had emerged. Several non-bank companies had rolled out platforms that were generating significant revenue and increasingly large customer bases. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, and XXXX XXXX recognized this competitive threat and used EWS, a XXXX and consumer reporting company owned by Defendant Banks with four other banks, to design and roll out their own peer-to-peer platformZelle. 
XXXX. The Zelle network is now offered by over XXXX participating banks and credit unions. It has become one of the most widely available peer-to-peer payment networks in the United States, with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX users. In the first half of XXXX, users transferred {$480.00} XXXX across more than XXXX XXXX transactions. In addition to being XXXX Case XXXX Document XXXX Filed XX/XX/XXXX Page 3 of 91 part owners of EWS, Defendant Banks are the largest participating financial institutions in the Zelle network. In XXXX, they accounted for 73 % of activity on the Zelle network. 
4. At its inception, Defendants focused on quickly bringing Zelle online to capture market share by leveraging their existing customer base and offering peer-to-peer money transfer services directly to those consumers. This rush to market was prioritized at the expense of consumers because Defendants have failed to institute effective anti-fraud measures for the network or otherwise comply with consumer financial protection laws. 
5. Shortly after Zelles launch, significant problems, including fraud being perpetrated on consumers using Zelle, quickly became apparent. But Defendants did not take meaningful action to address these clear defects for years.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation