Pennsylvania woman falls victim to bank app scam, loses $2,000

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A Pennsylvania woman lost $2,000 to a bank app scam after paying what she believed was her electricity bill.

Kandace Kettren told WTAE-TV her phone rang Monday night from a number associated with Duquesne Light Company.

"When she answered, she said she was told her electricity would be turned off if she didn't pay her $498.16, through PNC Bank's Zelle app," the report states.

Kettren told the media outlet she is going through a divorce and did not know which bills had been paid, so she agreed to make the payment. 

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File photo of PNC Bank location in Chicago, Illinois.

Not only did the alleged scam victim say the phone number matched the utility company, but she was asked to send her Zelle payment to Duquesne Light Company. It was seconds later she realized she was victim to a scam.

"I sent the $498.16, and then when I looked at my account, they took another $498 and then $996," Kettren said.

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Pennsylvania woman says she was scammed $2,000 over the phone. (iStock)

The transactions posted to two strangers rather than Duquesne Light Company, as Kettren said she typed into Zelle.

"That's a lot of money to me," Kettren said. "I'm a single mom with two girls in college, and it's a lot, so it really hurt."

Kettren said to reached out to PNC Bank immediately. A representative reportedly told her they're not responsible for Zelle, and when the transaction goes through, it's done, and they won't reimburse anything from it.

In a statement to Pittsburgh Action News 4, a spokesperson for PNC Bank wrote, "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take these matters very seriously and review and investigate allegations of fraud in line with regulatory guidelines. While we do not comment on specific customer cases, we will look into this matter."

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The statement included a link to the bank's security and privacy resources.

A Duquesne Light Company spokeswoman said they "have worked diligently" to educate their customers about scams via email, the media, social media and other avenues.