Random person sent me $1k on Venmo… is this a scam?

Online Scams Forum
1

About 15 minutes ago, I got $1,000 sent to me from someone I don’t know on Venmo. The payment said ‘golf,’ but it’s winter, so that makes no sense. I think it might be a scam, but I’m not sure what to do. Should I contact Venmo or my bank? Could this just be someone making a mistake?

Edit/update: The person just sent a request asking for the money back, but I declined it because it seems suspicious. I think I’ll call Venmo about this, but I’m not sure if that’s the right move.

Edit 2: I declined their first request, and now they’re asking for $800 back, saying I can keep $200. That’s when I realized it’s definitely a scam. I tried calling Venmo, but I couldn’t get through. I ended up blocking them and will let Venmo sort it out.

2

If this happens, don’t send anything back. Let Venmo handle it. Communicating with the person could make things worse.

3

Never send money back to someone in these situations. If you want, tell them once to contact Venmo directly, then block them. Don’t spend the money, either—it’ll likely get reversed.

4

TrickyTina said:
Never send money back to someone in these situations. If you want, tell them once to contact Venmo directly, then block them. Don’t spend the money, either—it’ll likely get reversed.

I usually just tell them I know it’s a scam and block them. No point wasting your time with these people.

5

Your second edit makes it pretty clear—it’s a scam. Don’t touch the money. It’ll probably be reversed soon.

6

Ignore it, don’t send the money back, and stop responding. Venmo will eventually deal with it. Definitely a scam.

7

This scam has been popping up more lately. Someone should add it to the forum’s FAQ. It’s not new, but people still fall for it.

8

Ivy said:
This scam has been popping up more lately. Someone should add it to the forum’s FAQ. It’s not new, but people still fall for it.

The scammers use the delay in Venmo’s transactions to make it seem like they’ve sent money, but it’s all fake. Once they get you to send it back, they disappear.

9

They probably used a stolen credit card to send the money. Just leave it in your account and block them. It’ll bounce back eventually.

10

When stuff like this happens, I just act clueless. ‘What’s Venmo? I don’t even have a smartphone.’ It throws scammers off every time.

11

jakob said:
When stuff like this happens, I just act clueless. ‘What’s Venmo? I don’t even have a smartphone.’ It throws scammers off every time.

Haha, I tell them my flip phone doesn’t even have internet. They get frustrated and give up.

12

Definitely a scam.

13

Do not send any money back. Just block and ignore the person. Let Venmo take care of it.

14

You’re smart not to do anything.

15

Just reply with ‘I love golf’ and block them.

16

Some payments take 24–48 hours to clear. Don’t touch the money until you know it’s legit. Most of the time, the scammer will cancel it within hours anyway.

17

Call Venmo and explain the situation, but don’t send the money back under any circumstances.

18

Not every case like this is a scam. I once sent money to the wrong person by mistake, but Venmo helped me get it back. Honest mistakes happen too.

19

This is a classic scam. They ask for the money back while trying to reverse the transaction on their end. If they succeed, you lose the money you sent. It’s also a way to launder stolen funds.

20

Glad you caught on to the scam! Stuff like this is why I don’t bother with apps like Venmo or Zelle. Too many risks.