A 24-year-old Florida man has admitted to masterminding a brazen Zelle scam that left over $250,000 in victims’ pockets.
KADER GAHMAAL BIWAKI EDMOND, 24, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents, Edmond and his crew targeted Zelle users through a series of text messages and phone calls, convincing them to transfer money to what they believed was their own account.
The scam worked like this: a victim would receive a text message from what appeared to be their bank, asking them to confirm a Zelle transaction. When the victim denied the transaction, they would receive a call from an impersonator claiming to be a bank representative, who would inform them of an unauthorized transaction and instruct them to ‘reverse’ the fake transaction by sending a Zelle payment to what they believed was their own account.
Unbeknownst to the victim, the scammers had already linked their phone number or email address to a bank account controlled by Edmond and his crew.
From February 2021 to August 2023, Edmond and his accomplices defrauded numerous victims, including those in Connecticut, out of a staggering $250,000 through this Zelle scheme and other scams.
Edmond was arrested on August 31, 2023, and is currently out on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
He faces up to 30 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Victims of Zelle scams can report the incident to their bank or credit union, or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang.
The IC3 also offers additional information on digital payment application schemes at https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2022/PSA220414.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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