Zelle® should only be used to send or receive money with people you know and trust. Before using Zelle® to send money, you should confirm the recipient's email address or U.S. mobile phone number. Neither PNC nor Zelle® offers purchase protection for payments made with Zelle® – for example, if you do not receive the item you paid for, or the item is not as described or as you expected. Zelle® is available to almost anyone with a bank account in the U.S. Transactions typically occur in minutes between enrolled users. If the recipient has not enrolled, the payment will expire after 14 calendar days. See the PNC Zelle Terms of Use for additional terms and conditions. Use of Zelle® is subject to and conditional upon adherence to the terms and conditions of the PNC Zelle® Terms of Use.
Reporting Fraud
The sooner you report, the better.
Contact Us
Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. ET
Respond to Fraud
- Secure
Contact your banks, credit card companies, mortgage holder, and any other organizations with which you have existing financial relationships and lock all cards. Be sure to tell the financial institution about all accounts and/or cards that could be potentially affected, such as ATM cards, check (debit) cards, credit cards and phone cards.- Consider placing a fraud alert or a security freeze on your credit profiles with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
- If checks are missing from your checkbook, issue stop payments on each check.
- If your driver's license is stolen, call your local Department of Motor Vehicles office.
- If your Social Security card is stolen, call the Social Security Administration.
- If your mobile device is lost or stolen, erase its data remotely.
- Change
Change all PINs and passwords and autopay options you may have established with online vendors and financial institutions. - Report
File a police report and submit a separate report with the Federal Trade Commission. Keep a record of all conversations, reports, and correspondence. - Monitor
Continously monitor your credit report and financial accounts for unexpected activity. - Consult
Consult PNC’s Identity Theft Information Center for identity theft protection tips and tricks and review your account agreement for details on liability.
Verify Contact
Always pause before sharing personal information
Cross-check numbers on text messages and calls claiming to be coming from PNC.
If You Receive a Suspicious Message
- Do NOT respond
- Do NOT click on any links
- Do NOT provide any personal information
- Notify PNC Bank of Suspicious Messages
- Email: Forward suspicious emails to abuse@pnc.com
- Text: Take a screen shot of suspicious text messages and forward to abuse@pnc.com
If you call, only dial numbers listed on pnc.com.
Important! PNC will never request your card PIN number verbally or through text for validation.
Protect Yourself
Institute Good Habits
- Applying best practices can make it more difficult for scammers to exploit weaknesses.
- Establish unique passwords for every different account.
- Monitor your accounts, credit reports and credit score.
- Monitor your financial statements for suspicious transactions.
- Practice online safety and apply good cyber hygiene, especially when connecting to the Internet.
- Secure important documents and shred when disposing.
- Maintain awareness of your surroundings when using ATMs and always cover your pin.
- Stop paper statements. Get your statements online.
Set Up Security Alerts
- Customize your alerts to make it easy to monitor your accounts.
Download Free Fraud Protection Software
- PNC online banking customers get free software from Trusteer Rapport that can detect and remove malware used by fraudsters.
Add a Layer of Security
- Opt for multifactor authentication. Establish a dual-layered process for protecting your online account.
Protect Your Identity
- Review our identity theft protection tips and tricks and learn how to quickly respond to signs of trouble.
Get Smart on Scams
Bank scammers are always looking for new ways to fool you into giving them your personal information and money.
These practices can help keep you from getting duped:
Buyer Beware
- Taking the time to think through offers is critical to evaluating the truth of claims.
- Watch out for deals that are only “good today” or that pressure you to act quickly.
- Never pay up front for a promised prize or benefit.
- Remember: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Watch for Red Flags
- Identifying fraudster tactics makes it easier to avoid danger.
- Someone contacts you out of the blue.
- You are pressured to act immediately.
- Someone tries to play on your emotions to make you take a rash action.
- You are asked to pay in an unusual way.
- You are asked to provide personal or account information.
- You are asked to send payment to be reimbursed.
Proceed with Caution
- An ounce of prevention can go a long way into keeping you safe from scams.
- Don’t share numbers or passwords for accounts, credit/debit cards, or Social Security.
- Avoid clicking on links or scanning QR codes. These can take you to scammers’ malicious websites or give them access to your device.
- Verify any contact claiming to be from your bank to confirm legitimacy to avoid bank scams.
- Put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Go to www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.
- If you believe your identity has been stolen, call our toll-free number 1-888-PNC-BANK (1-888-762-2265) and ask to be connected with the PNC Victims Assistance Program.
- Learn more about best practices around bank scam safety by visiting this resource page from the American Banking Association to learn how to avoid scams. #BanksNeverAskThat
Elder Fraud
Elders are being increasingly targeted with fraud, but there are ways you can help protect your loved ones.
Watch for Elder Scammers
- Impersonation Fraud. The scammer impersonates a government officials, a loved one, a trusted person or even their bank. This can be especially alarming, when the scammer claims to be from an agency like the IRS and makes accusations of delinquency.
- Romance Scams. The scammer creates a fake online identity and attempts to establish a trusting and believable relationship then asks for money.
- Grandparent Scams. The scammer impersonates a grandchild and creates an urgent problem that requires money to resolve.
- Lottery/Sweepstakes Scams. The scammer notifies the victim they have won a prize that requires bogus upfront fees or taxes to claim it.
- Investment Scams. The scammer makes false claims of a high-return investment to trick the victim into giving them money.
Look for the Signs
- High Pressure. Impersonators will apply time pressure and manufacture a sense of urgency, so victims don’t have the ability to logically think through their demands.
- Instant Connection. Scammers will attempt to create an instant connection and be over-complimentary. They are also likely to have an excuse as to why they can’t meet in person (i.e., working on an oil rig, deployed with the military, etc.)
- Air of Secrecy. Fraudsters targeting the elderly will often try to create secrecy around the relationship or payment arrangement to prevent loved ones or caregivers from interceding. Once scammed, elders may continue to keep the scam a secret out of shame.
Take Action
- Communicate. Maintain an open, transparent line of communication without judgment.
- Act. If an elder is scammed, take immediate action.
- Report. Contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline.
FAQs
Dos
- Do monitor your accounts, credit reports and credit score.
- Do monitor your financial statements.
- Do set up PNC Alerts to receive an email and/or text message notification of key activity on your PNC accounts.
- Do practice online safety.
- Do secure important documents.
- Do be aware of your surroundings.
- Do sign up for two-factor authentication with your bank to make it harder for someone to impersonate you.
Don’ts
- Don’t use public Wi-Fi to access sensitive information.
- Don’t click unknown links.
- Don’t open suspicious attachments.
You can utilize credit monitoring services, identity monitoring services, credit or security freezes and fraud alerting through your bank.
- Contact your bank and other organizations where you hold financial accounts.
- Collect relevant information and monitor your accounts and credit.
- Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement.
- Repair the damage by changing passwords and PINs, opening new accounts and destroying any old checks, deposit slips and/or debit cards associated with your account that is or will be closed.
Our PNC automated system may call you to verify activity on your accounts. If our automated system calls to inform you that your credit or debit card is potentially compromised and must be replaced, the callback number is 855-866-6941.
A PNC employee may also call you to verify activity on your accounts. If we are unable to contact you and need to leave a voicemail, we may leave any of these valid PNC phone numbers in a voicemail for you to contact us:
- 877-841-9125
- 855-866-6950
- 855-866-7001
You can utilize credit monitoring services, identity monitoring services, credit or security freezes and fraud alerting through your bank.
- Contact your bank and other organizations where you hold financial accounts.
- Collect relevant information and monitor your accounts and credit.
- Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement.
- Repair the damage by changing passwords and PINs, opening new accounts and destroying any old checks, deposit slips and/or debit cards associated with your account that is or will be closed.
Monitoring your credit reports regularly is a good way to quickly identify and correct for fraud. If you have already been victimized, it is critical to maintaining awareness of any new accounts or large transactions created by the fraudster. Contact the credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, Innovis, or TransUnion Credit — for more information.
- Equifax: www.equifax.com or 1-800-525-6285
- Experian: www.experian.com or 1-888-397-3742
- Innovis: www.innovis.com or 1-800-540-2505
- TransUnion: www.transunion.com or 1-800-680-7289
Consumers can receive a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion or Innovis.
To receive your report, go to AnnualCreditReport.com. AnnualCreditReport.com is the official site to help consumers to obtain their free credit report.
- Certain transactions require authentication of your identification like check cashing, withdrawals, deposits with cash back and purchases, regardless of whether you are receiving service in a branch or by phone. You will be given an option to select which way you would prefer your identity be authenticated: (i) by primary ID and PNC debit card, or (ii) by primary ID followed by a One-Time Passcode (OTP) for the authentication process. A text message will then be sent with the OTP for you to provide back for verification purposes.
- If you receive a text with a OTP message that did not follow contact with PNC customer service, contact our Customer Care Center as it may be an indication of fraud.
Visit our Pay it Safe with Zelle® page for best practices and videos on prevalent
scams to watch for, and follow these Safety Tips for Sending Money with Zelle®.