Scammers Gonna Scam: Texas Woman Loses Thousands After Falling Victim of Zelle Text Message Scheme

A woman in Texas lost thousands after being tricked by a Zelle scam.

Back in June, a woman named Shanna Coulter received a text message from a number that appeared to be from her bank. The text message asked Coulter if she’d approved a Zelle payment for the “amount of $2,000. After responding “No,’ someone called her.

“When it showed up, it showed up as my financial institution on a caller ID,” Coulter said. The man on the call claimed he needed Coulter to give him the code that was texted to her by Zelle security in order to stop the $2,000 transaction.

“He now had access to Zelle, which I had never used,” she said, CBS News reports. The code gained him access to her Zelle account, which allowed him to steal money from it up to her daily limit.

“It was $1,000 a day, and of course he calls me the next day and says we are still working this case for you,” she said, per CBS News. The thief ended up robbing her of thousands. Coulter was able to get her money back after originally being told she may not be reimbursed for a scam versus theft.