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A guide to getting your money back from a scam on Venmo
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Have you been scammed on Venmo? Unfortunately, scams are everywhere, and losing money in such a way can be frustrating. The good news is that you may be entitled to a refund if you tagged the payment as a purchase before sending it. However, any other payment on Venmo will not be refunded, and there isn't much recourse one can take in response to these scams. Nevertheless, this wikiHow guide will help you to handle scams on Venmo.
Things You Should Know
- Payments between personal users will never be refunded by Venmo, even in the case of a scam.
- Payments tagged as purchases or involving business accounts may be refunded in the event of a scam.
- If you believe your payment is eligible for a refund, contact Venmo to submit a dispute. Be sure to provide evidence that you were scammed.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
Will Venmo refund money if scammed?
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Venmo will not refund peer-to-peer payments. Payments sent between two personal accounts on Venmo will not be refunded. Even if the payment is between two strangers, it will not be considered for a refund.- Only payments tagged as purchases (i.e. Goods & Services) are eligible for a refund.
- When sending money to a stranger as part of a transaction, always tag the payment as a purchase.
- Only payments tagged as purchases (i.e. Goods & Services) are eligible for a refund.
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Purchases are protected under Venmo's Purchase Protection Program. If you tag your payment as a purchase before sending it, you may be entitled to a refund in the case of a scam.- Some cases in which a refund may be in order include:
- Receiving a damaged item
- Receiving a knockoff when promised an authentic item
- Not receiving a service for which you paid
- Check out this wikiHow guide to learn more about tagging purchases and all the scenarios covered under the Purchase Protection Program.
Advertisement - Some cases in which a refund may be in order include:
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Payments sent to or from business accounts may be entitled to a refund. Payments involving Venmo business accounts are automatically tagged as purchases and are therefore covered under the Purchase Protection Program.- If you believe you have been scammed and are eligible for a refund, check out the next section.
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Section 2 of 3:
Getting Money Back After a Venmo Scam
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Contacting Venmo to submit a claim. To submit a claim under the Purchase Protection Program, use the Contact page on Venmo's website to contact an agent and discuss your situation. They will submit a claim/dispute on your behalf. If you are approved for a refund, you will receive it within 1-5 business days.- Before contacting Venmo, try to gather as much evidence as possible of the scam, including screenshots and paper trails of texts/emails. [1] X Research source
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Opening a dispute in the Venmo app. Contacting Venmo directly is the quickest way to sort out a scam, but Venmo also allows users to open disputes directly within the app.- Go to the Me tab
- Tap Transactions and select the transaction you want to dispute.
- Tap Need Help? at the bottom of the page.
- Tap on the statement that best describes your situation.
- Tap “Add more” to dispute multiple transactions. After selecting all relevant transactions, tap “Add”.
- Tap “Next” and add any additional information. Use this opportunity to be specific in describing how you were scammed.
- Tap Submit Issue
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- If prompted, reset your Venmo password. This may be necessary if your account was hacked.
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Requesting money back from the scammer. If you were scammed via a peer-to-peer payment, there is not much you can do to get a refund. Ultimately, your only course of action is to send a request to the user who scammed you in hopes of getting your money back. It's unlikely they will honor your request, but it is worth a shot.- This wikiHow guide can help you send a Venmo request.
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Section 3 of 3:
Protecting Against Scams on Venmo
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Tag all purchases as such in the Venmo app. The best and only true way to avoid scams on Venmo is to identify your purchases as such when sending payments. Peer-to-peer payments will not be protected whatsoever in the case of a scam; only purchases will. -
Be wary of strangers online. It is common to make transactions via Venmo with someone you met on an online forum like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp. It isn't easy to know whether or not you can trust these people, so be sure to do some light vetting before committing to the purchase.- Some users may tell you not to tag your payment to them as a purchase so they can avoid the seller fees. You should always insist on tagging the payment as a purchase anyway.
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Block scammers on Venmo. If a user on Venmo has scammed you, be sure to block them so that they cannot attempt to scam you again.- This wikiHow guide can help you block users on Venmo.
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Notify Venmo of all scams. Even if you were scammed via a peer-to-peer transaction and are not eligible for a refund, it is good practice to notify Venmo of the scam. This allows Venmo to build a safer community and punish/remove the user who scammed you.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionCan I cancel an incorrect Venmo transaction?Steven Kibbel is a Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Kibbel Financial Planning based in Franklin, Tennessee. With over a decade of experience, Steven is passionate about empowering people to take charge of their financial future by offering comprehensive financial planning services, including cash flow planning, investment planning, and retirement planning. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Real Estate Affiliate Broker, and the author of several children’s books focused on teaching financial literacy. Steven has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Middle Tennessee State University.Canceling it isn’t usually an option once it reaches their account. If your payment was sent to a stranger, your best option is to contact Venmo’s support team. Provide details like the username of the recipient, the payment amount and date, and the contact information for the person you intended to pay. Venmo will do their best to help, though they can’t guarantee they’ll recover the funds. If the payment was sent to an unregistered email or phone number, check if it’s marked as “Pending.” In that case, you may be able to cancel it before it’s claimed. The key on getting your money back is by acting quickly and filing a claim as soon as you've made the error.
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