{"id":223784,"date":"2025-11-18T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T17:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=223784"},"modified":"2025-11-21T12:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:41:40","slug":"is-venmo-safe-how-to-prevent-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/tips-tricks\/is-venmo-safe-how-to-prevent-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Venmo 101: Making Safer Payments with the App"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the holiday season ramps up, so do group dinners, shared travel costs, gift exchanges, and all the little moments where someone says, \u201cJust Venmo me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With more people sending and splitting money this time of year, scammers know it\u2019s prime time to target payment apps. Here\u2019s how to keep your Venmo transactions safe during one of the busiest \u2014 and riskiest \u2014 payment seasons.<\/p>\n

What kind of scams are on Venmo?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Venmo scams come in all shapes, and many of them look like variations of email phishing and text scams. The scammers behind them will pose as Venmo customer service reps who ask for your login credentials. Other scammers offer bogus cash prizes and pyramid schemes that lure in victims with the promise of quick cash. Some scammers will use the app itself to impersonate friends and family to steal money.<\/p>\n

Venmo has a dedicated web page on the topic of scams, and lists the following as the top Venmo scams out there:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fake Prize or Cash Reward<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Call from Venmo<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Call from Tech Support<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fake Payment Confirmation<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pre-payment for Goods and Services<\/td>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stranger Posing as a Friend<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Payments from Strangers<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Offers to Make Money Fast<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paper Check Scam<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Romance Scam<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Venmo has thorough instructions to combat these scams<\/a>\u00a0and breaks them down in detail on its site. They also provide preventative tips and\u00a0steps to take if you unfortunately fall victim to one of these scams. Broadly speaking, though, avoiding Venmo scams breaks down into a few straightforward steps.<\/p>\n

How to avoid getting scammed on Venmo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1) Never share private details.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scammers often pose as customer service reps to pump info out of their victims. They\u2019ll ask for things like bank account info, debit card or credit card numbers, or even passwords and authentication codes sent to your phone. Never share this info. Legitimate reps from legitimate companies like Venmo won’t request it.<\/p>\n

2) Know when Venmo might ask for your Social Security number.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the U.S., Venmo is regulated by the Treasury Department. As such, Venmo might require your SSN in certain circumstances. Venmo details the cases where they might need your SSN for reporting, here on their website<\/a>.\u00a0Note that this is an exception to what we say about sharing SSNs and tax ID numbers. As a payment app, Venmo might have legitimate reasons to request it. However, don’t send this info by email or text (any email or text that asks you to do that is a scam). Instead, always use the mobile app by going to Settings<\/strong>\u00a0 –> Identity Verification<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3) Keep an eye out for scam emails and texts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Venmo always sends communications through its official \u201cvenmo.com\u201d domain name. If you receive an email that claims to be from Venmo but that doesn’t use \u201cvenmo.com,\u201d it\u2019s a scam. Never click or tap on links in emails or texts supposedly sent by Venmo.<\/p>\n

4) Be suspicious of the messages you get. Imposters are afoot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another broad category of scams includes people who aren\u2019t who they say they are. In the case of Venmo, scammers will create imposter accounts that look like they might be a friend or family member but aren\u2019t. If you receive an unexpected and likely urgent-sounding request for payment, contact that person outside the app. See if it\u2019s really them.<\/p>\n

5) When sending money, keep an eye open for alerts from the app.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just recently, Venmo added a new feature, dynamic alerts, which helps protect people when sending money via the \u201cFriends and Family\u201d option. It pops up an alert if the app detects a potentially fraudulent transaction and includes info that describes the level of risk involved. In the cases of highly risky payments, Venmo might decline the transaction altogether. This adds another level of protection to Friends and Family payments, which are non-refundable in cases of fraud. Further, this underscores another important point about using Venmo: only pay people you absolutely know and trust.<\/p>\n

More ways to stay safe on Venmo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Keep your transactions private.<\/strong> Venmo has a social component that can display a transaction between two people and allow others to comment on it. Payment amounts are always secret. Yet you have control over who sees what by adjusting your privacy settings:<\/p>\n