False Venmo accounts steal donations from real charitable organizations

Applications like Venmo, Zelle, Cash App and Paypal have changed how to move money. They are quick and convenient, but with this ease the exposure comes. If you send funds to the wrong person, they are likely to get well. Often there is no real way to recovery, especially when the recipient disappears behind a false user name and an unanswered support system.

This vulnerability becomes even more dangerous in times of crisis. During natural disasters, high profile social movements or health emergencies, people move to give. The scammers know it and exploit the impulse. One of the scams involved a false Venmo account that sought to collect donations for a non -profit from Minnesota after the death of George Floyd. The account seemed legitimate, but the funds never reached the organization.

A similar scam is aimed at Miles Perret Cancer Services, a non -profit based in Louisiana. The scammers have created a fraudulent Venmo account that closely mimics the legitimate Venmo handle of the non -profit organization of cancer. They use this fake account to deceive donors in good sense to send money, believing that they are supporting real charity.

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VENMO FALSE CHECK IMITE REAL CARITAT: How 1 character can deceive you

Miles Perret Cancer Services (MPCs) provides support to families who face cancer diagnoses. They recently discovered that a fraudulent Venmo account is its officer. Its real handle is @milesesperetcs. The scammer account uses @milesesperetcs_an almost indistinguishable copy.

For the average person, the difference is invisible. This is precisely what makes it dangerous.

“We have reported this account through the application more than 24 hours ago,” said Timothy Rinaldi, MPCS executive director, in Cyberguy. “There has been no Venmo Tracking. We tried the live chat option, but it closed sharply without resolution.”

Instead of helping, Venmo directed Rinaldi through generic frequent questions and legal responsibilities. Even after it was connected to a live support agent, the answers were standard scripts. He was told that the problem had been climbed, but no one could provide a timeline beyond a strike three to five working days.

The FBI warns the scam aimed at victims with fake hospitals and police

Benefic scams in Venmo: How scammers call donors who use fake accounts

In recent years, fake Venmo accounts have been used to operate donation units for hurricane relief, animal shelters, medical funds and other causes. The formula is simple. Take some known profit, slightly adjust your username and pass the boost of good will. The moment someone grabs, the money has gone and the damage is done.

The incident involving MPCs is not an isolated case. In December 2024, Victory Animal Rescue, a profit -based profit in South Carolina, discovered A Venmo account that involves the organization and collecting donations for the real charity. Group’s CEO, Michael Sniezek, confirmed that the account had received donor funds that did not expect before the problem was set.

In another case, there is only no dog rescue, a non -profit based on Phoenix, Posted on Facebook That the fraudulent accounts of Venmo had addressed to their past donors, sending them paid applications and requesting additional funds under false claims.

MPCs has filed a report to the Federal Commerce Commission, but there is no guarantee of quick resolution. The fraudulent account is still active from the press time. It is unclear how much it has already been lost or if Venmo will recover and something will return.

This is what you are doing wrong when the scammers call

How to avoid Venmo scams: 11 expert tips to protect your money

The scammers are not only aimed at charitable organizations. They are after anyone and everyone. Here are some ways to protect and keep the money earned.

1) Always access the payment application of the official application or website, and not of any platform or service of third parties.

2) Look at the security settings That the payment application offers and ensure that they are all set up in the highest and most protective settings.

3) Consider using a personal data removal service to protect your privacy and reduce the risk of scams. The scammers whose payment applications are aimed at Venmo, Zelle, Cash App and PayPal are often based on the information on the data runner and the search sites for people to elaborate convincing assumptions or attempts of Phishing. These sites can list your name, address, telephone number and even connections to the organizations you admit, making it easier for defrauders to deceive you or other people send money to fake accounts.

Personal data deletion services work by automatically eliminating the information of hundreds of data runner, which makes it much more difficult for scammers to find and misuse your data. When rubbing your data from these sources, reduce the risk of being oriented to payment application scams and reduce the likelihood that someone can supplant you or to a profit mood that you will matter. View my most important options for data removal services here.

Get a Free Exploration To find out if your personal information is already on the network

4) Create a strong, unique and complex password For each of your mobile payment applications and change -often. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords. Get more details about my The best password managers reviewed by 2025 experts here.

5) Enable Authentication of two factorswhich means you have to enter a code or use the imprint or face to unlock your account to prevent unauthorized access. That way, even if anyone knows your password, you can’t log in without your device or confirmation.

6) Block device and close applications. You always need to block the phone with a password, a pin, a pattern, a imprint or a face. Never share your password, pin or security code with anyone. You must also log out of mobile payment applications after each use and disable the automatic login feature. In this way, even if someone takes or lends the device, they cannot access the mobile payment applications without approval.

7) Verify the identity and legitimacy of the sender or receiver. You must always check the name, photo, username and contact information from the person or organization you send money or receive money before accepting or sending any payment request. You must also confirm the reason and amount of the transaction before you accept it. If you are not sure or you have doubts, you must contact the person or organization otherwise, such as a phone call, a text message or an email, but only if you know with certainty that these forms of communication are legitimate. You never have to send money or give details to your account to anyone who does not know or trust, or to anyone who asks you to do it out of the blue.

8) Link your Venmo to a credit card In contrast to a debit card, so you can dispute a charge of the scammers more easily. However, note that linking a credit card to your payment application can provide additional protection in case of fraud, but this may mean additional costs in terms of transaction rates.

9) Try not to keep a balance in your money transfer applications. You have a much better chance to be helped by your bank or credit cards when it comes to fraud than with a money transfer application.

10) Use strong antivirus software and never click on the links of unknown sources, Especially when it seems that an email or text comes from the payment application. Protect -You click on the malicious links by running antivirus software to your device.

The best way to safeguard the malicious links that install malicious software, which can potentially access your private information, is to install antivirus software on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to Phishing emails and ransomware scams, maintaining safe personal information and digital assets. Get my options for the best antivirus 2025 protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

11) Supervise your account activity and report any suspicious or unauthorized transaction. You must configure notifications of your payment app and your bank by text or email and regularly check your account activity. Look for signs of fraud, such as payments you have not made or received, or change in your account settings or information.

Kurt’s Key Takeaway

Unlike traditional banks, which are required by federal consumer protection law and fraud resolution terms, peer payment applications operate in a much weaker regulatory environment. Services like Venmo often indicate in their user agreements that they are not responsible for the wrong or unauthorized payments, unless there is clear evidence of commitment of the account or technical malfunction. The only Venmo suggestion here was to respond to a support ticket and wait. There was no emergency telephone line, no contact dedicated to non -profit and there is no indication that urgent actions were taken. Payment applications that allow donations flowing as quickly as a text message must also have the responsibility to keep transactions safe. When a non -profit must ask for support only to protect your own identity, something is broken.

Should the payment platforms be responsible for the losses caused by the impersonation scams? Do -us to know by writing -us to Cyberguy.com/contact.

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