Mysterious $700 Deposit in Man’s Checking Account Sparks Speculations of Another Zelle Scam

In a recent Reddit post, a user shared a puzzling experience after discovering an unexpected $700 deposit in their checking account, accompanied by a series of unsettling notifications. The individual, who does not even possess a Zelle account, received a random text notification from Zelle indicating the deposit, followed by an email from their credit union detailing the transaction. Upon checking their account, the deposit was indeed present.

700 dollars "accidentally" deposited into checking account
by u/xLAXaholic in Scams

Adding to the confusion, the account holder received multiple phone calls from an unknown individual who subsequently left a voicemail and text message claiming the $700 was intended for their wife. This unexpected contact has left the account holder uneasy about the security of their personal information. The account holder intends to address the situation with their credit union promptly and plans to block the unfamiliar phone number.

@u/WestToEast_85 shared, "It’s a money laundering scam. The money came from a stolen account. If you send it back, the thief will have $700 and you’ll be left holding the bag. Best to contact your financial institution and get them to sort it out." @u/xLAXaholic said, "Yup, that's exactly what I plan to do. Thank you." @u/Cactrot said, "I'm just curious. Why does the scammer need to send money first and have it sent back to them in order for them to have the money?" @u/HaoieZ shared, "Absolutely DO NOT send any of your own money back!"

@u/Local-Animator8187 shared, "This happened to me. I accidentally sent it to the wrong person. Note the phone number and name showed up. I contacted the person via text message though. But I did let her know I was going via my bank to recuperate the funds and surely enough 10 days later, I got it. I was in constant communication with the lady, letting her know every step. I’m sure she thought I was a scammer lol. But I’m glad I called chase/zelle and they sorted it out. Phewwwww. So do not send back anything. Let the bank handle it. Tell them to reach out to your bank and have the bank deal with it."

@u/mittenknittin shared, "And that’s how you know this one is a scammer because a real person like you contacts the bank." @u/Houdinihides said, "How did he get your name and number? If it was meant to go to his wife and went to the wrong person, surely, he’d ring his bank and they would deal with it. Definitely a scam." @u/xLAXaholic said, "Yeah, I'm cool with everything else happening, I can deal with it. But I want to know how they got my number." @u/nerdgirl71 shared, "Tell them to contact Zelle. They can handle it for them."

@u/DesertStorm480 said, "That's odd, even if your bank has Zelle available, at least with WF, I have to add what phone numbers and email addresses to the 'receive settings'. I only allow a special email address for receiving payments across payment vendors to receive with mine along with a business email addy." @u/pngtwat shared, "We have a similar system called Paynow. Unfortunately, you can put in a random number and you'll be shown a name if they are registered in Paynow. Major problem." @u/DimndGrl said, "It’s a typical scam that I have, nearly daily, sent to me between my email and text on my phone. Just block it, delete it. If you acknowledge it then they know it’s a valid number..."