Payment app scams on Venmo, Cash App and Zelle

A stranger “accidentally” sends you money and asks for it back, or a seller insists on a payment app.

How it works

Money arrives in your payment app from someone you don't know, followed by a polite message asking you to send it back. The original payment was made with a stolen card and will be reversed, so the money you sent “back” comes out of your own pocket.

Payment apps work like handing over cash: once you send money to a stranger, it's usually gone.

Red flags

• A stranger says they sent you money by mistake and asks you to return it.
• A seller who only accepts payment-app transfers to an individual.
• Messages about a payment that you don't see in the app itself.

What it looks like

Your payment app shows $250 from Jessica Hart, someone you don't know. A minute later, this text.

The tells:

1. A stranger's “mistake” payment.
2. Asking you to send it back yourself.
3. An emotional reason to hurry.

A training example written for this site. Names, numbers and links are made up, and links are disabled.

What to do

1. Don't send money back yourself. Ask the stranger to contact the app's support to reverse it.
2. Only use payment apps with people you know.
3. Check your balance in the app itself, not through a message's link.

If you already paid or shared information

1. Contact the company you used to pay (your bank, card company, gift card company, payment app or wire service) right away and ask them to reverse the payment.
2. If you shared a password, change it now and turn on two-factor authentication.
3. If you gave out your Social Security number or other ID details, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
4. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For scams that happened online, you can also report to the FBI at ic3.gov.

From FTC: What to do if you were scammed.

Latest alerts about this scam

No recent FTC, CISA or FBI alerts are tagged with this scam. The guidance below still applies.

Sources

• FTC: Mobile payment apps: how to avoid a scam when you use one
• FTC: Do you use payment apps like Venmo, CashApp, or Zelle? Read this

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