Weird mystery about a zelle payment

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:09 pm

Look, it honestly does not look to me like this guy is trying to scam me.
He has a nice reputation around the neighborhood.

I know I can't help him but I feel pretty about about it.
Maybe he thinks I scammed him. Confused

It's just so weird that his bank would tell him to reach out to me.
If the bank flagged his account and froze it, they need to unfreeze it.

amother

↑ Mulberry ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:13 pm

amother OP wrote:

It's just so weird that his bank would tell him to reach out to me.
If the bank flagged his account and froze it, they need to unfreeze it.

I agree. Let him know you feel bad and they didn’t open a claim. You can also give him Zelle’s contact info. Maybe they can help verify.
I don’t think there is anything more than you can do.
I understand you don’t want him to think you scammed him and make a chilul hashem especially that he does work for Jews.
But he also needs to give you the benefit of the doubt like you are to him…

amother

Brunette

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:39 pm

For those saying banks don’t talk to each other they definitely do when necessary.

But in this instance like others have said OP should tell him to figure it out with his bank, if the payment gets returned to you, you will of course send it back to him.

I’ve dealt with other bank issues, banks have no issue holding onto money they decide might be a fraudulent deposit, even if it’s already out of the senders account the receiver will not get it. The sender has zero power to do anything about it. (I’m dealing with that at Chase now with some checks they decided were deposited fraudulently however they came out of my account and there’s nothing I can do about it)

This does not smell like a scam at all!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:44 pm

amother Brunette wrote:

This transaction took place on Oct 15, more than a month ago.
I am assuming he had access to the funds all this time.
According to the story, his account got locked yesterday. So the money isn't being held anywhere. His entire account is just frozen.

Lets_Eat_Pie ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:53 pm

I haven't read through all the responses here but this all feels highly suspect even if we don't know whether the end game is a scam or this guy doesn't understand how Zelle works.

if his account is frozen, it doesn't make any sense that you'd be involved in unfreezing it for him just because you've sent him a payment. He does that himself.

I'd be suspicious of him trying to connect you to his "bank" because who knows if it's actually a bank you'd be talking to. Could just be some random person who pretends to be his bank but asks you to confirm your account number or zelle info or something else that then allows them to drain your account.

He could also be counting on the fact that you're a nice person and want to pay for a service received so you might pay again while waiting for a zelle refund of the first payment that will never happen.

If he doesn't understand how zelle works or who he needs to talk to in order to get his account unfrozen, that isn't your problem either. You don't know him or what else is going on with his Zelle account. Maybe there are other problem transactions or genuine issues with his Zelle that got it shut down, who knows? And even if not and it was a bank error that shut down his Zelle, you had nothing to do with it.

I'd tell him straight up that your bank has confirmed (twice) that your payment went through and that you have not marked it as fraudulent on your end, and that he will need to work everything else out with zelle/his bank.

amother

Blushpink

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 2:26 pm

I’m thinking it could be something like getting you to say you approve the transaction on the phone and then using a recording of that conversation to get into your account in some way. Don’t underestimate how sophisticated these scams can be it is NOT only asking people directly for money

B'Syata D'Shmya

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 2:54 pm

amother OP wrote:

1. You didn't lock his account, his bank did.
2. Your bank told you that you have nothing to do with this, I would believe your own bank.
3. You didnt file anything, and he hasnt shown you any proof that you did.

I would be sympathetic that he is having this trouble, but its not yours to fix, and not in your control.

amother

Maple

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 3:07 pm

A friend of mine just had something similar to what he is describing .

It wasn’t as a result of one certain Zelle payment, but rather that all of her income is through Zelle.
Her bank account was frozen.
currently it can’t accept any Zelle.

I wonder if it’s a similar situation here.
Not that your payment specifically caused it, but it may have been the one to tip the balance in his account of being too much money coming in through Zelle.
It was M&T bank

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:27 pm

amother Maple wrote:

This scenario makes the most sense to me.

The thing I don't get is why is the bank telling him to contact me? I would think the bank knows I can't help.

In a hypothetical scenario, if someone would have called back a month later to claim a zelle transaction was fraud, would that cause the receiver's account to freeze? And why would the person who did that admit to it?

amother

↑ Butterscotch ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:32 pm

amother OP wrote:

I had to go to the bank to take care of another matter, and while was there, I asked the manager about this story. She said that once the money leaves my account there is nothing they can do to trace it.

She said the other person has to deal directly with their bank and the banks work it out between themselves.

I told this to the guy and this was his response:
That's not what the bank is saying, they specifically told us that you did not authorize the Zelle transaction and they are removing the money from our account now. I will need to show them the messages between us to prove that it was not a fraud transaction

Now that your bank confirmed what I said. Just ignore him. The last thing is a red flag. Ok so show the messages to your bank, why is he saying it like he’ll need more messages with possibly your info… be careful. He may come back and say I need your account routing info, or I need a screenshot of your account in which he can use info etc… don’t give him anything at all.

amother

↑ Butterscotch ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:33 pm

amother OP wrote:

That’s the issue there is no scenario in which the bank tells him it’s your issue. This needs to raise red flags for you.

Sweet as Pie ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:49 pm

Banks usually require more than text messages. It’s super sus

Eta-if the money was already in his account

Why is he saying you supposedly wrote you don’t approve it? And even if hypothetically that was the case, why would his bank freeze the entire account?? It’s so weird

Last edited by Sweet as Pie on Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

↑ Butterscotch ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:53 pm

Sweet as Pie wrote:

While this gives me red flags

My best advice is make a 3-way call to his bank, YOU should call the official bank number-not him-
And let him give his cc info so you can speak to them

But you must make sure not to give your own bank info to them. He can use it against you

Ask him what info he needs to prove it’s not fraud. You need to be extra careful here

Banks usually require more than text messages. It’s super sus

Eta-if the money was already in his account

Why is he saying you supposedly wrote you don’t approve it? And even if hypothetically that was the case, why would his bank freeze the entire account

Don’t do this. It doesn’t matter that she’s on the phone, none of it matters. And this is literally how scams happen. There are so many ways they can steal her voice, her info, spoof calls. It’s a terrible idea.

↑ Sweet as Pie ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:58 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Hmm you have a point..rather safe then sorry

Illl edit my post

↑ Lets_Eat_Pie ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:08 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

100% agree. This is his problem to solve, assuming there really is a problem and he's not trying to scam you. You've done nothing wrong and don't need to get involved with his bank. If he needs to prove to his bank that you paid him for a legitimate business reason, he should have the records on his end to demonstrate that.

↑ Lets_Eat_Pie

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:11 pm

amother OP wrote:

Do you actually know that his bank told him to contact you, or is that just what he's telling you?

Either way, I think you've done your due diligence by checking the transaction on your end and confirming you never reported it as fraudulent.

He may still have a genuine problem with Zelle, but that's his issue to solve at this point.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:15 pm

kenz wrote:

They literally tell you every single time you zelle that you should be 100% certain it’s the correct recipient because once you send it, if it’s wrong there is no recourse. What he’s saying does not make any sense.

Right.
So, if theoretically, I paid someone, and found out afterwards that that person is a scammer, can I call my bank and tell them that this payment was not authorized? Or too bad on me?

amother

↑ Butterscotch ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:16 pm

amother OP wrote:

Right.
So, if theoretically, I paid someone, and found out afterwards that that person is a scammer, can I call my bank and tell them that this payment was not authorized? Or too bad on me?

It is always too bad on you