Report to Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle

• Payments sent to scammers through Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle
• Unauthorized transactions on your payment app account
• Sellers who took payment and never delivered
• Fake buyer or seller schemes on marketplaces
• Account takeovers where someone accessed your payment app
• Requests for payment from people impersonating someone you know

1. 1

   Report the transaction in the app

   Open the app, find the transaction, and look for "Report" or "Something went wrong." Venmo: go to the transaction and tap the three dots. Cash App: tap the transaction, then tap "..." and select "Need Help." Zelle: contact your bank directly, since Zelle runs through your bank's app.

2. 2

   Contact customer support

   Venmo: help.venmo.com/cs/contact-us or in-app chat. Cash App: cash.app/contact or in-app support. Zelle: call your bank's fraud department. Zelle runs the network but your bank handles the claim.

3. 3

   For a Zelle payment, ask your bank about imposter-scam reimbursement by name

   Since June 2023, Zelle's network rules require participating banks to reimburse customers for qualifying imposter scams: someone posing as your bank, a government agency or another trusted organisation to talk you into sending money. Use the words "imposter scam reimbursement". A front-line agent may tell you an authorised payment is never covered, which was true before the rule and is not now.

4. 4

   File a dispute with your bank

   If the payment came from your bank account, contact your bank too. For Zelle payments, your bank is the primary contact. For Venmo and Cash App, you should report to both the app and your bank.

5. 5

   Document everything

   Screenshot the transaction, any messages with the scammer, and the scammer's profile. Save confirmation numbers from your reports.

6. 6

   File a police report

   Get a police report number. Payment apps and banks sometimes require one for fraud claims.

• The transaction date, amount, and recipient name or username
• Screenshots of the transaction and any messages with the scammer
• The scammer's profile information (username, phone number, email)
• A description of what happened and how you were tricked
• A police report number (helpful but not always required)

These apps have limited fraud protection compared to credit cards. A transaction you did not make at all is the strongest claim and is covered under Regulation E. A payment you were talked into sending is harder, with one important exception: Zelle requires participating banks to reimburse qualifying imposter scams, so a Zelle payment made after a fake bank or government call is worth claiming even though you sent it yourself. Venmo and Cash App have no equivalent rule. Report in every case. Your report helps flag the scammer's account and may prevent them from scamming others.