Sources and editorial standards

Clear sources. Defined measures. Honest limitations.

Our editorial standards

• Prefer official provider, regulator, and law-enforcement sources.
• Distinguish allegations, personal experiences, reported incidents, and confirmed outcomes.
• Show the date and scope of each statistic.
• Do not infer individual payment safety from a network-wide rate.
• Use illustrative examples only when clearly labeled.
• Correct material errors and review time-sensitive terms before publication.

Sources used in this release

• Zelle: Safety 101 ↗
• CFPB: Mobile payment safety tips ↗
• FTC: Safely use mobile payment apps ↗
• FTC: What to do if you were scammed ↗
• Zelle: using Zelle and cancellation ↗
• PayPal: Personal payments vs goods and services ↗
• CFPB: Electronic fund transfers FAQs ↗
• Zelle: Report a fraud or scam ↗
• Zelle: How to spot a pay-yourself scam ↗
• CFPB: Submit a complaint ↗
• FBI: Internet Crime Complaint Center ↗
• FTC: Report fraud ↗
• FTC: Identity theft recovery ↗
• AARP: Fraud victim support groups ↗
• FBI IC3: 2025 Internet Crime Report ↗
• FBI IC3: Criminals use generative AI to facilitate fraud (PSA I-120324) ↗
• FTC: Pass It On — scams that target older adults and families ↗
• Interagency Statement on Elder Financial Exploitation (December 2024) ↗
• CFPB: Guides for managing someone else’s money ↗
• DOJ Office for Victims of Crime: National Elder Fraud Hotline ↗
• NAPSA: Find Adult Protective Services in your state ↗
• Zelle: Zelle for small business ↗
• CFPB: Regulation E § 1005.2 definitions (“account”) ↗
• Zelle: Security and sending money safely ↗
• Zelle: How to avoid an online marketplace scam ↗
• FBI: Business email compromise ↗
• FBI IC3: Business email compromise, including payroll diversion (PSA I-091019) ↗
• FTC: Fake check scams and your small business ↗
• FTC: How to spot, avoid, and report fake check scams ↗

Corrections

Tell us the page and the specific issue. Include an official supporting source if you have one. Most recent source review: October 4, 2026.