Venmo and Cash App scams: how they work and what to do

Why payment app transfers work like cash

Venmo and Cash App are built for paying people you know. Cash App says completed person-to-person payments generally cannot be reversed by any app, and the FTC says money sent through these apps is hard to get back.

Venmo's Purchase Protection covers some purchases, such as payments to business profiles and payments you mark as being for goods or services before you send them. Payments to friends that are not marked that way are not covered, even if you were buying something.

The “I sent it by mistake” payment

A stranger sends you money, then messages asking you to send it back. The money they sent may be stolen or may later be pulled back, and the money you return is your own. Venmo's advice is not to return or move the payment yourself, but to contact its support team, which can help reverse it, and to block the sender.

Fake payment emails and screenshots

When you sell something, a scammer may send a screenshot or an email that looks like proof they paid. Venmo warns that these can be fake, and that there is no feature where a payment is released only after you ship and upload tracking. If the money is not in your balance in the app, you have not been paid.

• Venmo says it only emails from addresses ending in venmo.com.
• Venmo says never to give anyone the verification code sent to your phone. The same goes for any sign-in code from Cash App.
• Only reach support inside the app or on its official website. The CFPB found people who searched online for Cash App support were targeted by fraudsters posing as Cash App staff.

Cash flipping is always a scam

Someone online offers to turn $50 into $500 if you send them money. Cash App says every cash flip offer is a scam. A common trick is a small test first: they send a little back to win your trust, then ask for a much larger amount and disappear.

The FBI has warned that these offers often come from hijacked accounts of people you know, and may end with requests to change the email on your social media account, which hands the scammer your account.

If it already happened

1. Report it in the app now. On Cash App, open the payment and choose Report an issue. On Venmo, go to Me, Settings, Get Help, then Chat With Us.
2. If the payment came from a linked debit card or bank account, call your bank too. It may have its own dispute process.
3. If someone got into your account and sent money without your permission, say so clearly: federal law requires your provider to investigate errors you report.
4. Save the messages, usernames or $cashtags, and payment receipts, then block the scammer everywhere.
5. If the app will not help and you think it is wrong, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

• ReportFraud.ftc.govReport the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
• IC3.govThe FBI’s internet crime complaint center, for losses online.
• IdentityTheft.govIf they got your ID, Social Security number or account details.

Questions