Chase Bank may block Zelle payments to social media contacts as scams surge

Scams on Zelle, the digital payments app, have apparently gotten so widespread that Chase Bank is moving to block users from sending payments to social media contacts.

Chase updated its user policy, indicating it may block these sorts of payments.

It read, in part:

"To help protect you from fraud and scams, the Zelle Service should be used for payments between friends, family, and others you trust and should not be used to pay for goods from recipients with whom you are not familiar. The Service is not intended, and should not be used, for the purchase of goods from retailers, merchants, or the like, including on or through social media or social media marketplaces or messaging apps."

The change was first spotted by Bleeping Computer, and is set to go into effect on March 23. Though it is unclear if Chase plans to block every payment to a social media contact, as reports have suggested.

The policy from Chase reads: "If you are sending a Zelle payment from your Chase account that is identified as originating from contact through social media, we may, in our discretion delay, decline or block that payment."

So it seems like your payment may be blocked or declined, but that isn't necessarily always the case. The move from Chase comes months after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced an $870 million lawsuit against Zelle over "widespread fraud."

"The nation’s largest banks felt threatened by competing payment apps, so they rushed to put out Zelle," said then-CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a December statement. "By their failing to put in place proper safeguards, Zelle became a gold mine for fraudsters, while often leaving victims to fend for themselves."