Payments & money transfer scams

PayPal scams involve fake invoices, phishing emails pretending to be from PayPal, and overpayment schemes. PayPal will never ask you to send money to keep your account active or click a link to verify your identity. Always log in directly at paypal.com.

A Zelle payment is instant and usually final, which is why scammers ask for it. The most common Zelle scam is a call from your "bank's fraud department" telling you to Zelle money to yourself to stop a fraudulent transfer — which actually sends the money to them. No bank ever asks you to do that.

Most Cash App losses start with a phone number found by searching. Cash App has no inbound support line, so every "Cash App customer service number" on a search result, ad or forum belongs to a scammer. Payments you send are also not reversible — Cash App is designed to work like cash.

Venmo scams include fake payment notifications, phishing texts about account suspension, and overpayment schemes on marketplace sales. Venmo payments are instant and difficult to reverse. Venmo will never contact you asking for your password, PIN, or verification code via text, email, or phone.

Western Union is a legitimate service that scammers rely on because a transfer turns into cash in a stranger's hands within minutes and cannot be recalled afterwards. No agency, court, utility or employer will ever ask to be paid this way — the request is the scam.

MoneyGram itself is not the scam — being asked to use it is the warning sign. Money sent by MoneyGram is collected in cash within minutes, anywhere in the world, and cannot be recalled once picked up. No government agency, utility, employer or legitimate business asks to be paid this way.