08/27/2024

Florida Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Zelle Users

United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KADER GAHMAAL BIWAKI EDMOND, 24, of Miami Gardens, Florida, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release and 125 hours of community service, for his role in a scheme that defrauded individuals who use the electronic payments system Zelle.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement has been investigating crimes against users of digital payment applications, including Zelle.  Typically, a scheme victim receives a fraudulent text message, purporting to be from the victim’s bank, asking the victim to confirm whether a Zelle transaction was authorized.  When the victim denies the transaction, the victim receives a response that a bank representative will be in contact.  The victim then receives a phone call from an individual impersonating a bank representative, who informs the victim that an unauthorized transaction has occurred and that they need to work together to reverse the transaction.  Without the victim’s knowledge, the fraudsters will link the victim’s actual phone number or email address via Zelle to a bank account that does not belong to the victim.  The victim is then instructed to “reverse” the fictional fraudulent transaction by making a Zelle payment to what they believe is their own account, but is, in fact, an account controlled by the fraudsters.