She Was Targeted By A Scammer On Venmo Who Randomly Sent Her $300 And Immediately Asked Her To Send Back The Funds
From phish scams via email to scam phone calls from so-called debt collectors, we all know that there’s no shortage of fraud schemes out there.
But, according to Jenna Herrera (@themoneymom), a financial wellness influencer, there is another scam you should be aware of, especially if you’re a smartphone user.
Digital payment platforms such as Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App have changed how people send and receive money. Plenty of us don’t even carry cash or checks around anymore, relying on these apps to split dinner bills with friends or even pay our rent.
However, Jenna believes she was recently targeted by a financial predator on Venmo. In a now-viral video, she detailed how, one day, she randomly received a payment of $300 from a stranger named Kenneth Ford, which was supposedly for “wood.”
Due to the 2.99% seller transaction fee, the total amount was decreased to $291.03.
“I thought it was really weird, so I waited a couple of seconds, and then that same person requested the money back,” Jenna detailed.
Kenneth sent Jenna a request for $300 with a message that read, “Hi, I obviously just paid you $290 accidentally. It would be much appreciated if you could [please] return the $. [Thanks] so much!”
The situation left Jenna with a weird feeling in her gut, and she decided to do some research. She ultimately learned this was a technique used by scammers.
Fraudsters will send money using stolen financial information and, afterward, pretend it was a mistake, asking you to send the funds back.
Alex – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only – pictured above are some one hundred dollar bills
Then, if you send the money back to the fraudster’s account, the original banking information owner will eventually realize their funds were stolen.
At that point, the stolen amount is taken out of your account, and you are left in a financial deficit.
In other words, if Jenna had sent back the $300, she would have lost $300 of her own money.
“Anyway, I declined the request. I still have the $300 in my account. What do I do with it? I’m not gonna send it back to this guy. How does it get back to its rightful owner?” she asked.
Many viewers of Jenna’s video shared similar experiences with scammers on digital payment apps.
“This happened to us. It was my husband’s Cash App. It was over $800. They begged and pleaded and said it was their rent. We told them we would return it if they filled out a police report. They didn’t,” one user commented.
Yet others shared how they’ve personally sent money to the wrong person on accident, showing mistakes really can happen.
“This has happened to me, but I accidentally sent it to the wrong person. It was only $60. I asked the person to please send it back, and thankfully, they did a week later. I didn’t think I’d see it again. I got lucky,” another user wrote.
So, if you encounter this situation, it’s likely safest to contact Venmo directly and seek assistance to ensure you don’t fall victim to a scam.
@themoneymom what now? #idk
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