Zelle® allows you to safely, quickly and easily send or receive money from those you trust such as your babysitter, fellow PTA parent or coworker.
Whether you just enrolled with Zelle® or have been an active user for a while, keep these tips in mind to ensure you’re sending money safely.
- Send only to those you know and trust.
Keep in mind that sending money with Zelle® is similar to handing someone cash. Money moves directly from your bank account to theirs within minutes*. It is important you know and trust the people you’re sending money to.
You cannot cancel a payment once it’s been sent if the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. If you pay in advance for a product or service, be sure you can trust them as you may not get your money back otherwise.
- Beware of payment scams.
One example of a payment scam could be buying event tickets from a stranger at a price that seems too good to be true but never receiving them. If the seller asks you to use Zelle® to purchase the tickets, you might suggest another payment method unless the seller is a person you trust.
Neither Arvest Bank nor Zelle® offers a protection program for authorized payments made with Zelle®. If you aren’t sure you will get what you paid for, you should use another payment method with purchase protection, such as a credit card.
- Verify you are paying the right person.
Did your friend change phone numbers recently? It’s easy for people to change their phone number or email address linked with their Zelle account. When in doubt, contact your friend to verify the email or U.S. mobile number they used to enroll with Zelle® before you hit the “Send” button.
If a person has already enrolled a U.S. mobile number or email address with Zelle®, you can’t cancel the transaction, so it’s important you get it right the first time.
- Steer clear of phishing calls and emails.
Fraudsters today are using more sophisticated email and phone techniques to gain access to your information. Fraudsters have the ability to spoof calls and send emails that look like they are from your bank. Beware of clicking links in emails and text messages. In addition, do not provide your online banking login credentials, one-time password, account number or personal information by email, text, or phone call. Contact Arvest at (866) 952-9523 to confirm that the request is legitimate.
Keep in mind that no one from Arvest Bank will ask you to send them money with Zelle® as a test or to send money to avoid a fraud event.
Alerts and additional payment confirmation screens may be presented when scheduling a payment within Zelle® to help you avoid scams. When sending money via Zelle®, if the recipient is already enrolled, you will be able to view the recipient’s contact name that you added AND the name the recipient enrolled into Zelle as, along with the recipient email address or phone number.
If the recipients name and email address or phone number do not match, you may want to cancel the payment.
If you’d like more information on safely using peer-to-peer payments, check out these articles from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
– Helpful Tips for Using Mobile Payments Services and Avoiding Risky Mistakes
– Tips on Using Peer-to-Peer Payment Systems and Apps
– How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure Online
*U.S. checking or savings account required to use Zelle®. Transactions between enrolled customers typically occur in minutes.
Zelle® and the Zelle® related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.