Sam Boyd
Fact-checked by Hazel Shaw
Short on time? Here’s the best way to stay safe from Venmo Scams in 2025:
Always be cautious when you see unexpected messages or emails with Venmo links. If a request comes from someone you know, contact them outside Venmo to confirm it’s theirs. Also, get an antivirus like Norton, which blocks phishing sites and has great identity protection.
Venmo scams are getting incredibly widespread and sophisticated — even tech-savvy users can become victims. Falling for one can mean everything from financial loss to identity theft.
Scammers rely on many different strategies to trick Venmo users. They’ll claim to have sent you money and make you click a link, allowing them to seize your Venmo account. They’ll also send notifications about fake payments that they’ll request you return. Many scammers will even imitate a victim’s family member to build trust.
By learning more about scammers’ methods, you’ll be safer. That said, if you’ve already fallen victim to a scam, I’ll cover what you need to do going forward. In any case, I recommend using an antivirus like Norton 360. It has excellent tools for mobile and desktop devices that block dangerous links.
How Do Venmo Scams Work?
If you’ve fallen victim to a Venmo scam and just want to know what to do next, click here.
The majority of Venmo scams use social engineering to entrap victims. Under this model, cybercriminals don’t use technical skills like hacking to execute their schemes. Instead, criminals rely on psychological tricks to gain trust and manipulate people into providing personal information or money.
These attacks work based on two foundations. One is that you’ll willingly divulge sensitive information to a trusted third party (such as your bank). Another is that Venmo scammers know how to trigger fear, greed, curiosity, and other emotions to get potential victims to behave irrationally. For example, it’s common for scammers to offer promises of wealth to entice innocent Venmo users.
Venmo scammers also prey on victims’s trusting nature to make you send them money or divulge sensitive information. In these cases, they pose as legitimate employers, mimic reputable money managers, or even impersonate your friends and family.
Most Venmo scams start with a message sent via text, email, or platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. These usually promise an exciting opportunity (like a new job) or an immediate problem that needs to be addressed (like a claim that you’ve lost control of your account). In any case, these fake stories are accompanied by a link to Venmo — or a fake page imitating Venmo.
All that said, there are things you can do to stay safe. Beyond familiarizing yourself with how scams work, there are concrete steps you can take to protect yourself.
10 Common Venmo Scams to Be Wary Of
There are many Venmo scams, but I’ve listed the most common ones. While new scams might emerge, they are usually variations of these.
- Fake rewards. A common scam starts with a message saying that you’ve won something. To claim it, you have to click a link. If you do, you could be tricked into entering sensitive information (like your Venmo password) to claim the reward. In other cases, victims are asked to send some money (which might be disguised as a “shipping fee”) before getting the reward.
- Fraudulent buyers. Scammers like to target people who sell products and services online. They might actually pay for something, only to cancel their charge later, leaving vendors out of their merchandise. Other times, they’ll create fake payment notices to trick you into sending your product. Alternatively, scammers could use inquiries about your products as a springboard to scam you in other ways.
- Phishing scam. Scammers pose as Venmo to send legitimate-looking emails, chats, or text messages (in the last case, we call this smishing). These messages are usually designed to get you to click a link to steal your login info or download an attachment that contains malware that can compromise your device.
- Romance scam. As you’d expect, romance scammers try to gain your trust by pretending to be in love with you. After a while, they ask victims to Venmo their money to help them with an emergency. Once you send the money, they’ll continue to perpetrate this scam or block you entirely.
- Overpayment scam. A very common scam involves cybercriminals sending you money. This could come out of nowhere or be a scammer paying for something you sell. They’ll request you send back the entire sum or the price difference. Once they’ve received the money back, they’ll use various methods to cancel the whole transaction, costing you money.
- Fake invoice scam. Cybercriminals like to send fake invoices showing that you’ve paid for something. They’ll leave their contact details on the invoice, impersonating Venmo. Many victims reach out to scammers to try to cancel their fake purchases. Once in contact, the scammers try to get Venmo users to divulge sensitive information or claim they need to pay a fee to get their money back.
- Fake investment scams. These Venmo scammers promise you juicy returns on investments in a short time period. After depositing your funds, they might have you download an app or visit a website showing profits, encouraging you to deposit more. But if you ever try to withdraw the funds, you’ll find all your money is actually gone.
- Fake login scams. This starts with an email or text message from the scammer claiming that someone tried to log into your Venmo account. You’re then provided with a link to “secure your account.” However, clicking the link and entering your login details will give the scammer control over your account.
- Fake job scam. Scammers pose as recruiters to hire you for a job. Before you start, they ask for an onboarding, equipment, or shipping fee for your work setup. You fall victim to this by paying this money.
- Stranger-in-need scam. The scammer could approach you in a bar, on the street, or anywhere else. They’ll usually need your phone to make a call/text someone. Once you hand over the phone, they’ll go into your Venmo and transfer some money to themselves instead.
How to Avoid & Protect Yourself From Venmo Scams
You don’t need technical expertise to protect yourself from Venmo scams. Here are the simple things you can do today to stay better insulated against Venmo scammers:
- Use secure logins. Don’t use a common password with your Venmo account. Instead, improve your Venmo login security by using an uncrackable password. The best passwords are random text strings of letters, numbers, and symbols. These can be hard to memorize, so I recommend relying on a password manager like 1Password to generate and store your Venmo password. If your device offers a biometrics (fingerprint/Face ID) login, you should also enable it.
- Don’t refund “accidental” transfers. If anyone ever sends you money out of the blue, don’t return it immediately. If it appears to come from someone you know, contact them outside of Venmo. You can send the money back once they’ve confirmed the mistake. If the money is from a stranger, ask the sender to raise the issue with Venmo. You should also contact Venmo to report such instances.
- Be cautious of random messages. Did you get a legitimate-looking message with a link from Venmo urging you to take immediate action? Contact Venmo support to confirm its authenticity. Remember not to click any random links and guard your login information jealously. Finally, you should also get an antivirus with web protections, such as Bitdefender, to warn you and block access to phishing links that Venmo scammers might use.
- Avoid too-good-to-be-true offers. When an offer looks too good to be true, it usually is. So, avoid random strangers contacting you online to help you grow your money quickly.
- Never pay an “employer.” A legitimate employer won’t require you to pay them an onboarding fee before they bring you on. Likewise, they don’t ask you to pay them to ship your office equipment.
- Use scam protection software. A good antivirus will block phishing links, keeping your credentials safe. Some, like Norton, even offer tools to block suspicious texts, flag dangerous emails, and detect and warn you about scams in real time.
What to Do if You See a Suspected Scam on Venmo
If you get an email, text message, WhatsApp message, or any other communication you suspect is a Venmo scam, follow these steps.
- Take a deep breath. Scammers rely on quick responses to entrap people. Even if the message says you need to take immediate action, take your time and consider what to do. Don’t click on any links or respond right away.
- Collect evidence. Take a screenshot of any messages the scammers send you. If you’re unsure if it’s a scam, contact Venmo via their official website and ask for their opinion.
- Report the scam. Send your evidence to Venmo. If the scam attempt came as an email, forward it to Venmo’s email address (phishing@venmo.com). If it was a text message, send a screenshot to the same address.
6 Things to Do if You Fall Victim to a Venmo Scam
In most cases, you won’t be able to reclaim any money lost to a scammer (though specific Norton LifeLock customers can get compensated up to $10,000). That said, you can still do some things to avoid further harm. Here are the steps to take:
- Contact Venmo support: Gather as much information about the scam as possible and send it to Venmo support.
- Secure linked accounts. Change the password of your Venmo account. If the scammer directed you to use another service or website, change those passwords, too. Using a password manager like 1Password makes this easier. I also recommend canceling any credit cards linked to Venmo.
- Cease interactions. Stop interacting with the scammer immediately. No scammer will return your money or delete your personal information, so don’t try. Continuing to communicate only puts you at risk of further scams.
- Contact the relevant authorities. Venmo is only available in the United States, where scams should be reported to the FTC. To start the process, go to reportfraud.ftc.gov and click Report Now.
- Secure your identity. Venmo scammers would love to steal your identity. That way, they can impersonate you to scam money from your family and friends via Venmo or even take over your account. So, investing in a safety tool is a good move. I recommend Norton LifeLock, which offers identity theft protections, an AI-powered scam detection tool, and even reimbursement for scam victims on the best plan.
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- Be prepared for future scams. Follow the advice in this article to ensure you’re never scammed again. Use strong passwords, protect yourself with an antivirus, and always be on the lookout for Venmo scams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Venmo have scam protection?
Venmo doesn’t offer a dedicated scam protection service. However, it educates users about scams via its help center and allows you to report scams via dedicated channels. It also enables features like Purchase Protection to keep sellers safe from wrong chargebacks.
Can Venmo scam you?
While Venmo itself is a legitimate company, the platform is also used by lots of scammers. These cybercriminals use a variety of methods to trick victims into giving up personal information and cash. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the most common strangers, as doing so will reduce the risk that you become a victim.
What are the psychological tactics used by Venmo scammers?
Most common Venmo scams employ psychological tactics to elicit your natural sense of greed, fear, and other strong emotions. For example, scammers often promise wild financial gains to entrap victims. On the other side, they’ll suggest that your accounts have been compromised to trigger a sense of urgency.
What can I do if I fall for a Venmo scam?
If you fall for a Venmo scam, you need to take a few steps to minimize the damage. While it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to recover any lost funds, you must do what you can to secure your accounts. This involves changing your passwords and potentially canceling credit cards. You should also report the scammers to Venmo and anti-fraud regulators.
