{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@type": "FAQPage",
 "mainEntity": [
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Can a wire transfer or Zelle payment be reversed if it was a scam?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Rarely \u2014 and this is the defining feature of these scams. Wires settle between banks quickly and Zelle payments transfer instantly to the recipient's account; neither has a chargeback mechanism like credit cards. Recovery depends on the receiving bank freezing funds before they're moved, which requires reporting within hours, not days. Some banks now reimburse certain imposter-scam Zelle losses, but it is discretionary. Treat every wire and payment app transfer as final."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "My bank called about fraud and asked me to move my money. Is that real?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No \u2014 this is the single most damaging bank scam running today. Real bank fraud departments freeze suspicious transactions on their side; they never ask you to transfer money to a \"safe account,\" send a Zelle payment to \"reverse\" one, read them a passcode, or move funds anywhere. If you get such a call, hang up and dial the number on the back of your card. Losing thirty seconds redialing beats losing your balance."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "How does real estate wire fraud actually happen?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Criminals compromise an email account somewhere in the transaction \u2014 often a title company, agent, or attorney \u2014 and silently read the thread for weeks. Just before closing, they send wiring instructions from the real (or a near-identical) address, styled exactly like prior emails. Because everything matches, buyers wire their entire down payment to the criminals' account. The defense is simple and absolute: verify wiring instructions by phone using a number from your original signed documents, and treat any last-minute change as fraud until proven otherwise."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Is it safe to use Zelle to pay someone on Facebook Marketplace?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Only for in-person transactions where you've inspected the item \u2014 and even then, cash is safer. Zelle was built for sending money to people you know and trust; it offers no purchase protection whatsoever. A seller who insists on Zelle before you've seen the item, refuses cash on pickup, or won't use a protected method is selecting for irreversibility, which is a pattern worth its own verdict."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Is what I describe here stored anywhere?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No. Per our Security Policy Framework \u00a73.1, nothing you submit is stored in our database. Your description is processed server-side, analyzed, and discarded immediately after your result is returned. We never retain, sell, or train on your submissions."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "I already sent the money. What can I do?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Move fast. Call your bank's fraud line immediately and request a wire recall or Zelle fraud claim \u2014 minutes matter, because recovery depends on freezing funds at the receiving bank before they're withdrawn. File a complaint at ic3.gov (the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center), which coordinates with banks on freezes, and report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. For real estate wires, also notify the title company and your agent so the breach is found. Speed determines outcomes here more than any other factor."
   }
  }
 ]
}