[Arnt]

Perhaps because they try to look like banks to their customers.

Paypal even has a banking license where I live. A paypal transfer may or may not be a bank transfer, I don't know, but it has a banking license so I can understand it if people assume that they can trust it like a bank.

[IAmBroom]

So, financial ignorance. They're being "soft-defrauded" by the marketing of "looking like a bank".

I'm not saying victims are dumb; they're ignorant, and the solution is self-education. Hopefully before you start leaving 5+ digits in their care...

[Arnt]

I beg to differ.

Banks have particular protection in the modern financial system. When states grant that, they should IMO protect banks against impersonation.

[recursivecaveat]

Reminds me of the crazy situation with that fintech "bank" that went under. They were basically a ledger over a real bank. The real bank was FDIC insured, but the protection for the underlying doesn't necessarily mean anything for your 'virtual' account in the ledger. FDIC would only help you if there was some insolvency in the under-layer.

Bunch of customers were screwed by the bankruptcy of the upper layer. Maybe there is some hope for at least the FDIC cracking down on this deceptive fintech trick in the future.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/04...