Summary

  • Avoid handing your phone to strangers, especially with payment apps open.
  • Scammers use fundraisers to deceive victims into transferring large sums to individual accounts by taking control of the device on the pretext of checking for a failed transaction.
  • Set up debit limits on payment apps to minimize potential losses.

With the popularization and accessibility of smartphones, the associated dangers are on the rise as well. While a risky app installation or phishing attempt could compromise your credentials, online accounts, and identity, there is a more imminent financial danger with smartphones. Instant payments using popular wallet apps like Google Pay, Venmo, CashApp, and Zelle can be incredibly convenient, but it is essential to limit access to them as well. Several unassuming individuals were caught unawares in New York City, and robbed to the tune of thousands through these apps and deceptively well-meaning scammers.

An image of hands on a laptop keyboard with a yellow warning icon on the display


Related


7 dangerous AI scams that everyone should know about

Don’t fall victim to these AI-powered scams



1

While you might offer your phone to a stranger to place a phone call or dial emergency services, handing them the device to clear up confusion while you have a wallet app open can prove disastrous. A recent report from Gothamist explains how the neveropen in SoHO are now handing out flyers cautioning citizens about the rise in digital mugging scams where the thieves transfer funds to their account using a wallet app on your device (via Android Authority).

The standard modus operandi involves a random person approaching you on the pretext of seeking a donation for a legitimate fundraiser, charity, non-profit, or local school. If you give in, and agree to make a donation using one of the payment apps on your device, the scammer promptly creates confusion and states the donation wasn’t received, offering to help and check the details. This is a ploy to get the victim to hand their phone over.

Common safety measures may not work

Just general awareness might serve you better

samsung galaxy s23 fe display screen on outdoors

Since they just saw you enter your authentication pattern or bank PIN, they can immediately transfera much larger sum to a personal account instead of the amount you thought you were giving to a legitimate cause. With your phone in hand, they can also promptly dismiss any alerts your bank might send, including the debit SMS. The realization might dawn on the victim much later, with little hope of recovering the money sent through CashApp, Zelle, etc.

The report states people were scammed to the tune of anything from $928 to $3,500. Total losses for dozens of victims in Brooklyn andManhattan last year exceeded $76,000. The neveropen added this scam is more popular in the summer when people are out and about. Interestingly, the cops made some arrests last year in some of these cases, and these scammers were aged between 15 and 21 from Jersey City. Most of the victims so far are aged between 20 and 40, and 35 of the 39 reported incidents targeted women.

To keep yourself safe from such scammers, you should never hand your phone over to them, especially with a payment app open. Next, you can set up debit limits on your accounts or wallets associated with these payment apps, to cut your losses.