New Scam Alert – Beware of Fake Cash App Payments

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

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Lately, it seems like a new scam pops up with every day that passes. The one I'm about to tell you about definitely seems like one of the easier scams to fall for.

Would you say "no" to free money? I don't think most people would. But, this scam is definitely one of the instances where you'll want to do that.

If you use money-sharing apps like Venmo or Cash App, pay attention. Today, I was scrolling through a Facebook group where a user shared that she had received multiple random users requesting to send her payments on her Cash App account. What?

Someone immediately shared this Identity Theft Resource Center article that explained how the scam works: if you accept the fake payment, you'll get a message asking to send the money back. So far, it sounds harmless. Here's the bad part:

Most likely, the scammer withdraws the money to their Venmo card instead of back on the original credit card. They might also delete the stolen credit card from their account and submit their own card in its place so that the money you are sending them goes to their personal card.

Essentially, you'd be helping someone steal money, by sending the money back to the scammer's card instead of to the person they stole the money from in the first place. How do these people come up with this stuff!

Long story short, be vigilant - warn your family and friends about this scam because as I said earlier, not many people would turn down free money; especially people who may not be tech-savvy.

It's especially important to keep an eye out for scammers because the Holiday season is approaching, and people will do anything for a buck.

And this isn't the only scam going around - be sure to stay informed about the terrifying fake hostage scam, and wrong number dating app scam.