With Covid Rearing It's Ugly Head Now We Have A New Scam

Time to fill you in on the latest scam coming down the pike. This new scam is just one of many using digital wallets apps, such as PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and Apple Pay.

Unlike credit cards, a lot of digital wallet vendors will not shoulder the cost of fraud. If you pay scammers using a digital wallet, you may not be successful in getting the company to reimburse you.

Here is how the scam works. You get a Venmo request from a friend who needs some cash. Perhaps your friend has lost their wallet and needs a little cash help. Could you send a couple of hundred dollars to tide them over?

It sounds ok doesn't it, and it looks like it, too. The message comes from an account using what looks like your friend’s username and profile photo. Look closer, you notice that the name is a character or two off from their real Venmo account.

Scammers are taking advantage, using the information visible in Venmo’s public feed, they figure out from who this person had previously sent or received the money. Then, scammers contact these users with requests for money.

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Here is how to Protect Yourself from a Venmo impersonation con. Double-check with your friend before sending cash. If you get an unusual request, call or text your friend to make sure it is legit.

If for some reason you can’t reach them, you can also tap on their Venmo profile to view their public transaction history and information.

Keep your transactions private. Scammers use the information visible in Venmo’s public feed to find targets.

Here’s the privacy setting information from Venmo.

Use money transfer with friends. Protect yourself from scams by only using money transfer apps for their intended purpose -- sending money to people you personally know. Enable additional security settings. Check your account settings to see if you can turn on additional security.

You should link your money transfer app to a credit card. Using a credit card will help protect you if you don't get the goods or services you paid for. Linking to a debit card or directly to your bank account does not give you that added protection.

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