# Tell me about Venmo **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451 "2024-06-28T17:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/41 "2024-07-03T17:14:55Z")
My little credit union with only seven branches has Zelle imbedded in their app. ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/42 "2024-07-03T17:21:37Z")
My son had his bank acct. linked to his venmo. He would venmo to his kids who also had venmo accts. Then a scammer got his info and both his money and his kids were being taken. All this is now stopped. I think venmo is full of scammers IMHO ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/43 "2024-07-03T17:26:03Z")
The world is full of scammers. It has zero to do with Venmo. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/44 "2024-07-03T18:29:21Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It has zero to do with Venmo. A great many of us have been scammed (fraudulent charges) on our credit cards. Overwhelmingly we have been able to get those charges reversed. Good luck with that with Venmo/Zelle/Cash App. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/45 "2024-07-03T18:31:37Z")
Well yeah. Venmo is like cash. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/46 "2024-07-03T18:33:58Z")
This is why I only use credit cards especially when I travel. Never had a problem getting errors taken care of if needed. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/47 "2024-07-03T18:50:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > . Venmo is like cash. Partially. But if someone gives you cash it’s yours. But if someone sends you a Venmo payment and it turns out it was funded by a stolen credit card–your Venmo payment is instantly gone when the bank realizes this. So there is a very popular scam going around where someone sends such a payment; then contacts saying I send this to you by accident, please return and you do this. You have been scammed out of the money–because the money you sent was good–while the payment sent to you was fraudulent. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/48 "2024-07-03T18:56:37Z")
I’ve had fraudulent charges on my credit card and accounts opened in my name by someone else. - as far as I know because some legit company got hacked and my credit card/other info was taken. I spent so much time trying to clear up the AT&T cell phone I didn’t open that I ended up wishing I had paid the $40 bill and closed the account. None of those occasions were really “scams”. The Venmo/Zelle scams I’ve heard of don’t work like that - they require the victim’s participation. Either someone sends money “accidently” with a stolen credit card and asks the victim to refund it or they overpay for a purchase or someone impersonates your friend or family member and asks for money or someone asks to use your phone and on and on and on, I’m not worried about any of these scams because I only use Venmo/Zelle with people I know (and if my sister sends me a request out of nowhere, I’m going to call before I send anything) or for small transactions that I initiate , like buying coffee and a bagel from a coffee truck. If a stranger sends me money accidently , I’m not sending it back immediately just because they say so. Because there is no legit reason for a stranger to send me money. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/49 "2024-07-03T19:00:52Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I only use Venmo/Zelle with people I know (and if my sister sends me a request out of nowhere, I’m going to call before I send anything) or for small transactions that I initiate This. Be just a bit vigilant, and you won’t be a victim. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/50 "2024-07-03T21:03:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As a general matter the banks at both ends need to subscribe to Zelle. If you try to send money to a phone number or email that Zelle recognizes as already signed up, the money is simply ACHed from your account to theirs immediately. Oh, thanks, that makes sense. I think that’s what happened in that case, because he got a text right away while I was standing there. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/51 "2024-07-03T21:20:10Z")
I use Zelle to transfer money with my boyfriend. My little credit union is not one of their banks, but his is. We haven’t had any problems transferring, but I’ve not tried to transfer more than $500 a week. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451/52 "2024-07-04T20:12:20Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > . Venmo is like cash. > > Partially. But if someone gives you cash it’s yours. But if someone sends you a Venmo payment and it turns out it was funded by a stolen credit card–your Venmo payment is instantly gone when the bank realizes this. So there is a very popular scam going around where someone sends such a payment; then contacts saying I send this to you by accident, please return and you do this. You have been scammed out of the money–because the money you sent was good–while the payment sent to you was fraudulent. Which is just an updated scam that used to be done with fraudulent checks or money orders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-venmo/1003451.md?page=2)