Zelle^® is great convenient service but unfortunately it has become the target of scammers. The "Pay Yourself Scam" works by a fraudster sending a text message to the victim, posing as their financial institution. If the victim responds, the fraud continues in two steps:

1. The scammer enrolls the victim in Zelle, linking the victim's phone number to a bank account controlled by the fraudster. During this enrollment process, the fraudster convinces the victim to share the validation passcode Zelle texts to confirm the account. Once the victim's account has been enrolled in Zelle, any future Zelle transactions that are intended for the victim using the victim's cell phone number are instead routed to the fraudster's account.
2. The scammer instructs the victim to transfer funds from other accounts to the Zelle-linked account using their cell phone, which routes the funds to the scammer's account. 

Tips to protect yourself

• Never call a number back that you receive in a text, email, or voicemail claiming to be your financial institution. If you have an account with the institution that left a message, call the financial institution at the phone number listed on their website or your statement.
• Financial institutions will never ask for one-time passcodes such as those provided by Zelle.
• Never share account numbers, PINs, or other personal information with anyone who contacts you. If it is your financial institution, they already have that information.
• Financial institutions will never ask you to send money to anyone, including themselves.

If you feel you have been a victim of this or any other scam, contact Member Services at NGFCU right away.