Venmo business account scams: how fake payments and fake sellers work
Quick answer
If someone says a Venmo payment is waiting until you send shipping details, or a seller wants you to pay outside Venmo's purchase protection, it's a scam. Venmo is the platform scammers pretend to be. Check the transaction in your own app, never in a screenshot or email.
- Pretends to be
- Venmo
- Last updated
How it works
Scammers use Venmo's business and purchase features in two ways, based on what Venmo itself warns about.
Against sellers. A buyer sends a screenshot of a fake email that makes it look like they've paid you on Venmo when they haven't. Another version says the payment will only arrive once you upload shipping details. Venmo says that's fake and not a feature it provides. Payments made with stolen cards or bank details can also be reversed later, and the money can be taken back out of your account.
Against buyers. A seller asks you to pay a personal profile, without the purchase tag, or outside the app. Venmo's Purchase Protection covers payments to approved business profiles and payments the sender tags as purchases. Payments to a personal profile without the purchase tag aren't covered.
The goal is money, or your Venmo login if you're pushed to a fake website or email that looks like Venmo.
Red flags
- A screenshot or email as proof of payment instead of a payment in your own app
- A payment that supposedly only arrives after you upload shipping details or pay a fee
- A seller who wants a payment to a personal profile with no purchase tag
- A business profile with no "Eligible items covered by Purchase Protection" note under the Pay button
- Pressure to ship or release the item right now
- An email or text that looks like Venmo and asks you to log in through a link
Example message
Hi, I sent the $[amount] for the item on Venmo but it's showing as pending. Venmo says you have to upload the tracking number before it releases. Here's the confirmation [link], please ship today.
What to do
- 1
Check the payment in your own app
Open Venmo yourself and look at your transaction history. If it isn't there, no payment was made, whatever the screenshot says.
- 2
Don't ship or hand over the item
Wait until the money shows in your Venmo balance. Be wary of a payment that can be reversed later if it came from a stolen card or bank account.
- 3
Keep sales on Venmo with protection
Venmo says approved business accounts show "Eligible items covered by Purchase Protection" under the Pay button. Personal-profile payments without the purchase tag aren't covered.
- 4
If you already paid or shared your login
Report it to Venmo through the app, change your Venmo password, and tell your bank or card issuer. Then report it to the FTC.
- 5
Forward fake messages to Venmo
Venmo asks you to forward a suspicious email as an attachment, or send the website address, to the phishing address on its help page.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
If you sell on marketplaces, your phone number or name is often tied to a listing, and scammers can look up more about you on people-search sites. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them, and alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer strangers can build a convincing story about you.
More Venmo scams
Frequently asked
Is Venmo a scam?
No. Venmo is a real payment app, and scammers misuse it. Venmo publishes a page on common scams and how to report them.
Does Venmo make sellers upload shipping details to get paid?
No. Venmo says a payment that only arrives after you upload shipping details is fake, and that this isn't a Venmo feature.
Does Purchase Protection cover every payment?
No. Venmo says it covers payments to approved business profiles and payments the sender tags as purchases. Payments to a personal profile without the tag aren't covered.
Can money I received be taken back?
Yes. Venmo warns that payments made with stolen cards or bank details can be reversed later and removed from your account.
Sources
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