‘I called the bank’: Zelle customer receives $100 from a stranger. Then she tried to return it

A woman recently sparked discussion on TikTok when she shared a frustrating experience she allegedly had with the digital payments service Zelle. 

In a video that has since garnered over 142,300 views, TikTok user Nique Nashae (@niquenashae) explains how her attempt to return someone else’s money backfired.

“Every day,” Nashae begins, “I understand more and more why people choose not to do the right thing.”

What happened?

Nashae recounted how the incident began when she received an unexpected $100 bank transfer through Zelle from an unknown person with the note, “Gracias Carlos.”

“So I immediately saw and I’m like, I don’t recognize this name, Nashae says in the video. “I saw the memo said ‘Gracias Carlos,’ so I’m like, that’s wrong,” 

She explains that she’s had her phone number for over 15 years, so she had no idea how this money ended up with her. Still, she wanted to do the right thing and return the money.

Following proper channels, Nashae called her bank right away. The representative told her to wait until the transaction was posted and then call back. 

“That already sounded fishy to me because why not just do the ticket now?” she recalls, but she followed their instructions anyway.

In the meantime, Nashae received calls and FaceTime requests from the unknown sender. She ignored them, following her bank’s advice not to engage in case it was a scam. 

When she called back the next day, she requested the transfer be reversed so the funds would go back to the sender. “I know it’s not meant for me, trying to do the right thing, right?” she says.

Her good deed backfires

However, a few days later, Nashae received an email from her bank stating her Zelle account had been permanently disabled. 

“Naturally, I call my bank and I’m like, ‘Hey… what’s happening?’” she says, explaining that she often relies on Zelle to transfer funds between accounts and pay bills.

Looking for clarification, Nashae says both her bank and Zelle told her there was “nothing they could do.” Her bank allegedly cited that Zelle was a third-party service and claimed they had no control over the restriction. 

Nashae says Zelle provided a similar response, explaining they don’t directly investigate accounts tied to partner banks. According to the best guess she could get from customer support, the original sender likely filed a fraud claim, leading to the restriction.

“My account was disabled as if I’m the one who was doing fraudulent activities when I literally called my bank, not once but twice, to have the money sent back to the people,” she says.

Frustrated and out of options, Nashae ended her video with her advice for anyone in a similar situation.

“Just keep the money,” she concludes. “If you wanna know what to do if you’re in this situation, just keep it.”

What do experts advise for those in similar situations?

Experts caution those who receive unsolicited payments from strangers, as these can sometimes be part of a scam.

Keeper Security, for instance, suggests Zelle users avoid engaging with the sender, especially if they start asking for the payment back. Doing so could actually put your own funds at risk.

Instead, they recommend steering clear of spending the money and getting in touch with Zelle to have the payment safely reversed. 

Zelle scams have, unfortunately, become all too common.

In one instance, a Wells Fargo customer reported that a scammer posing as her bank called her, gained access to her account, and drained her funds via Zelle.

Another user had a close call with the same scheme but caught on to the red flags in time, avoiding the scam just in time.

Viewers react

Commenters under Nashae’s video had some questions about her experience. 

“So the person claimed that you scammed them so did they get their $100 back or you never received?” asked one user. “I’m a little confused.”

Nashae stitched that comment to another video to answer the question. She clarified that the payment was in her bank account for only one day before her bank reversed it.

Others shared their own similar experiences. 

“I had this happen to me,” shared a user. “I had to wait 90 days before I was able to get my Zelle back from Navy.”

“Literally the same thing happened to me smh,” wrote another. 

@niquenashae Im so disappointed in Zelle and my bank.. ???? #zelle #fraud #fyp ♬ original sound - Nique Nashae

The Daily Dot has reached out to Nashae via email and TikTok message. We’ve also contacted Zelle via email. 

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