Zelle Scams: What to Watch Out For and How to Stay Safe

Oct 18, 2025  Jortty

Zelle is a prominent digital payment platform that allows direct access to user bank accounts, which means that it is definitely the main target for online scammers. The online world is tragically filled with scammers in modern times, with bad actors focusing on everything from Google Chat to Geek Squad in the hopes of scoring an easy payday.

Sadly, Zelle is one of the most noted online scams, as there is little recourse for the scammed people to get their money back. So, what would you do to safeguard yourself? Here at Jortty, we are going to help you uncover the Zelle scams out there and spot one.

Types Of Scams & How To Avoid

Zelle Fake Purchase Scams

As you can imagine, one of the most prominent scams on Zelle involves purchasing and selling products on various marketplace platforms. Facebook Marketplace, in particular, is primed for Zelle scams, as it’s specifically aimed at selling to and purchasing from strangers.

In numerous instances, such scams are straightforward. You can reach out to the user on the marketplace, and they demand that you pay through Zelle. After you send the payment, the user disappears without any plans to send you the product. Since transfers made at Zelle are not reversible, there is little to no chance of getting your money back, and the scammer is the user with a fake account, fake name, or fake product.

How to Avoid This Scam:

Several marketplace platforms require a government-issued identification card for verification, which means that you can ask for these details before buying a product. Otherwise, you can get friendly with your band, as it is the only way to reverse a charge through Zelle.

Zelle Phishing Scams

Purchase scams on Zelle are extremely common, with phishing scams that impersonate the financial service company becoming problematic and often tough to spot. This is one of the scam trends that generally happens while trying to sell an item on the marketplace platform. Here, the user reaches out to buy items, asking for your email address to send out the Zelle Payment.

How to Avoid This Scam:

If you sell a product, it comes with a reason to send someone money. If they need to figure out how to send you money for the product you sell most comprehensively and easily, then they are not the appropriate buyer for you.

Zelle Charity Scams

The scam is mainly across the payment services; however, Zelle is a prominent option as you need a greater recourse to gain a refund. Here, you are contacted through text message, email, or any other messaging service and are told that a specific current tragedy would need donations and that you can help with your Zelle payment. The language needs to be corrected with grammatical and spelling errors.

How to Avoid This Scam:

Always verify whether a charity is real before landing on a donation or avoiding future scams, specifically with non-refundable options such as Zelle. If it appears legitimate, you can check it out online to ensure that you are donating to the right cause is what it is mentioned there.

Zelle Fake Job Scams

It is a bit complicated scam; however, irrespective of its intricacies, it is a common scam that happens with several news sources that reported on the first-hand accounts from those who had been scammed. It initiates with a job search generally for a remote work position. The applicant will get word that they are called for an interview with the firm; however, the interview is often conducted through a messaging app instead of the normal channels like a phone call or a video chat.

How to Avoid This Scam:

For beginners, always ensure that you can see the person interviewing you. If you buy something that is getting reimbursed, confirm that the funds are made available before you commit to purchasing Zelle.

Conclusion

Zelle is a fast, easy, and free way to send money to reliable people. However, using it to buy or sell items online can expose you to greater risks. It is important to safeguard yourself and your banking details from scammers by following the tips we have mentioned here.