【A Thought of Ecstasy】

Zelle shut down its mobile app on A Thought of EcstasyTuesday, but the eight-year-old digital payment service will remain available through many financial institutions.

Over 2,200 banks and financial institutions are part of Zelle's network, translating to only 2 percent of users sending or receiving payments through the Zelle app. As most Zelle transactions are done via a bank, Zelle began winding down its app last year.

"Today, the vast majority of people using Zelle to send money use it through their financial institution's mobile app or online banking experience, and we believe this is the best place for Zelle transactions to occur," Zelle officials stated in an October 2024 press release.

Zelle was sued in December by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three of the largest U.S. banks for failing to install fraud safeguards, which cost customers more than $870 million. Last month, with a new president in office who is not a fan of financial regulation, the lawsuit was dropped. Because of the prevalence of scams, Chase Bank is canceling some suspicious Zelle payments.

Other digital payment services besides Zelle include Venmo, PayPal, Apple Wallet, Revolut, and Cash App. CNET (a sister site of Mashable, both owned by Ziff Davis) warns people to be careful when using any of these services.

• Chase Bank may block Zelle payments to social media contacts as scams surge
• How to avoid getting scammed on Zelle
• U.S. officials in Signal chat left their Venmo data exposed online

"Only send money to people you know and trust, and watch for red flags like an urgent message claiming to be from your bank or an online ad for concert tickets that seem impossibly cheap," writes CNET's Kelly Ernst.

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