Scammers have several tactics. Be extra mindful of these two common scams:

Pay Yourself Scam

Scammers are taking advantage of the speed and ease of Zelle. They are impersonating bank representatives, asking customers to send themselves money with Zelle to avoid fraud. In fact, this IS a fraud attempt! A scammer might ask you to send a one-time code, but they are really using this code to enroll themselves in Zelle and take the money you think you’re sending yourself! 

Gift Card Scams

Scammers may impersonate a company, bank, or government agency and ask you to purchase gift cards or make payments in gift cards. They often attempt to trick people into using gift cards to pay for false emergencies, such as legal bills, bail, or tax payments.

What To Know:

• Your bank will never ask you to send money to yourself using Zelle.
• No reputable company, bank or government entity will ask you to purchase gift cards or make payments in gift cards.
• Do not engage a scammer. Delete suspicious text messages and emails right away. If a phone call is suspicious, hang up. You can always call your bank back to determine whether the call you received was legitimate.
• Do not trust your caller ID! Scammers can spoof phone numbers.
• Be aware of requests to act urgently – this is a red flag of a scam.

Be aware of these scams and never give your passwords or PIN numbers to anyone, even if they claim to be from your bank or another company. To learn more about fraud prevention, visit our cybersecurity center.


Reviewed April 2025

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.