Zelle Unveils Payment Safety Education Campaign with Vox Media

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 30, 2023 – Today, Zelle® and Vox Media are launching S.A.F.E. Squad — Scam and Fraud Elimination Squad — a creative campaign designed to educate U.S. consumers about safe payment usage. Reaching a broad audience of consumers, the campaign is intended to raise awareness about payments safety.

Drawing inspiration from classic procedural detective shows, the S.A.F.E. Squad campaign features a team of investigators, with the lead portrayed by notable actor and producer Christina Ricci, as they explore and combat imposter scams. Together, the investigators provide viewers with valuable insights and offer advice on how to protect themselves from scams. In addition to the entertaining videos, the campaign features an interactive microsite with facts about imposter scams, and quizzes to help consumers test their knowledge on avoiding these crimes.

“As someone who has been targeted by scammers, I am thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Zelle to help educate people, raise awareness about fraudulent payment schemes, and arm consumers with ways to protect themselves before they fall victim to a scam,” said actor and producer, Christina Ricci.

“Zelle is proud to have educated millions of consumers in the U.S. to date this year, but we won’t stop there. We’re now spearheading a multi-platform, consumer education campaign as part of our ongoing commitment to payment safety,” said Andrea Gilman, chief marketing officer at Early Warning, the network operator of Zelle. “As part of our longstanding, multi-year commitment to empower U.S. consumers to protect themselves from criminals, this is one of the many ways we’re rooting out crime. Our efforts also include technology developments, in-app security alerts, public-private partnerships, and advocacy around public policy changes.”

The campaign was created in partnership with Vox Media. Vox Media Chief Revenue Officer Geoff Schiller said, “Over the course of three years, Zelle has worked together with Vox Media to educate consumers about financial safety. Inspired by classic detective shows, we leveraged our award-winning brand studio, Vox Creative, and worked with A-list talent to bring audiences a multi-platform campaign that drives sustained impact by empowering people to protect themselves from financial fraud. Our goal is to align consumer and brand needs against the backdrop of our stellar reputation in branded entertainment.”

Early Warning, the network operator of Zelle, has educated millions of consumers on digital payments safety in 2023. In addition to the launch of S.A.F.E. Squad, the company has educated consumers of all ages through partnerships with the Better Business Bureau, National Council on Aging, EVERFI, Cybercrime Support Network, HerCampus Media and more.

The creative campaign was created in partnership with Vox Media. To learn more about S.A.F.E. Squad and the extensive consumer safety education efforts by Zelle, visit: www.vox.com/safesquadhq.

About Vox Creative

Vox Creative is Vox Media’s award-winning brand studio. Vox Creative’s team of strategists, writers, storytellers, and analysts create original content and experiences that connect brands with influential audiences across Vox Media’s editorial networks and beyond. Vox Creative’s work spans short and long-form video, podcasts, explainers, experiential, shoppable content and more. They’ve built houses, invented cocktails, produced documentaries, traveled inside companies to uncover untold stories, and, on rare occasions, have gone to the moon.

About Zelle®

Zelle® is transforming how money moves, with more than five billion digital payments sent since its launch in 2017. The Zelle Network® connects more than 2,100 bank and credit union brands of all sizes, enabling consumers and businesses to send digital payments to people and businesses they know and trust with an eligible bank account in the U.S. Money is available directly in bank accounts generally within minutes when the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. To learn more about Zelle® and participating financial institutions in the Zelle Network®, visit www.zellepay.com. Zelle® is brought to you by Early Warning Services, LLC, an innovator in payment and risk management solutions.

Zelle® and the Zelle® related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC

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