‘Gas settlement’ email citing Venmo or Zelle is legit, California says

Did a suspicious email land in your inbox promising settlement money at Venmo or Zelle The message goes like this This payment represents your share of the California v Vitol Settlement More information visit vlc calgaslitigation com In one instance a blue circle with a Venmo link mentioned the recipient should click to Accept Money from California v Vitol Settlement Administrator Related Articles Bay Area lender asserts bankruptcy citing million in liabilities Credit union eyes HQ and branch campus with San Jose property purchase Credit union buys long-empty San Jose site of popular restaurant Charles Schwab accused of firing Los Altos assets consultant because he ran for Congress as Democrat SpaceX cybersecurity engineer tapped for Fannie Mae board amid shakeup Recipients then have to log into their bank or Venmo accounts to claim the money This raised hackles and prompted myriad social media posts in which recipients petitioned if the email was phishing or the real deal Is this legit Should I click it Why is it asking for my phone number Yes it s real the California Attorney General s Office says And yes a nearly settlement is going to claimants via Venmo Zelle or a paper check We have been able to confirm that claimants were given a choice of how they d like to receive their payments in this scenario either check or electronic transfer which did include the option to use Venmo the AG s office explained in an email on Friday May Starting late April over a million Californians who filed valid proposes before the states submission deadline started receiving payments for More than a million people in California are getting a small settlement from a million gas manipulation lawsuit filed by the state s attorney general Several claimants opted for an e-payment which means they ll get their money from Zelle or Venmo seen here in an email sent to one recipient Others will get a paper check Screengrab SCNG The money comes from a million gas price manipulation settlement negotiated by the state with the Dutch company Vitol SK Ability Americas and its parent SK Trading International in South Korea Attorney General Rob Bonta s lawsuit claimed the companies conspired to raise gas prices after the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance went offline after a February explosion In the May complaint Bonta noted the companies took advantage of the sphere disruption to engage in a scheme to drive up gas prices for their own profit Read Bonta s press release here Petroleum companies should not get to reap mass profits out of the pockets of hardworking Californians through illegal arena manipulation Bonta announced in October A settlement was reached in October at which time residents were urged to file a claim The money is going only to those who bought gas in Southern California between Feb and Nov and subsequently filed a claim late last year