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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about the activities of the Federal Trade Commission and to share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, deceit, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas and concerns are welcome and we encourage you to comment. Please note that this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before posting and will not post comments that violate our commenting policies. We expect commenters to treat each other and the authors of the blog with respect.
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Anna
August 14, 2023
or when the app takes the money and puts it in your Crpto account
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James Young
August 14, 2023
how can a person know what messages are for a person who receives emails from government officials stressed about everything trying to figure out what to do needs help
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KelcP0515
August 14, 2023
In response tohow can one know...AfterJames Young
Most officials, both bank and government, will not ask you for any information. None of them will ask you to open an account over the phone or walk you through the process of sending money unless you initiate the call. The website they provide for scams has a lot of useful information. You can always hang up, check the phone number online and call them if you're not sure.
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Dee Dee
August 14, 2023
In response tohow can one know...AfterJames Young
Don't use payment apps, period. Banks praise them because it relieves the bank of responsibility. If you are paying online, go directly to the creditor's trusted website where you have to sign up. Payment will be debited to your bank account within a few days. If the fraud continues, which is unlikely, your bank needs to fix it. Payment apps often don't.
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Knee
August 22, 2023
In response toDon't use payment apps...AfterDee Dee
Absolutely correct!
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Angie
August 14, 2023
In response tohow can one know...AfterJames Young
James,
You will usually receive an email from the government AFTER USPS contacts you. They usually correspond only by mail. I wouldn't trust email. I hope it helps!
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bok
August 14, 2023
In response tohow can one know...AfterJames Young
Call your bank or whatever company they represent. Don't answer. Google the phone number or whatever they give you with the word scam. Most importantly, take the time to learn about scams. Just remember that anyone who contacts you for YOUR information is probably a scammer. And never pay with gift cards.
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Samuel H Nunnally Jr
August 14, 2023
Fantastic and much needed information.
Thank you
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Jim Fordella
August 14, 2023
Great point about Cashapp Craze! Thank you for all the positive things you do for consumers!
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Doug Jedlicka
August 14, 2023
Stay up to date with the latest scams and scammers. Today it is a way of life. Thanks to FTC consumer alerts.
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Sue
August 14, 2023
I already feel the pain of a cheater, it's a real thing. As soon as I clear this I will cancel PayPal and
Venmo.
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Vanessa
August 14, 2023
My mom got a call from her "nephew" asking for emergency cash. "Worried" she asked if it was "Jim" and he said yes. I gave him the wrong answer and I should be ashamed of myself; then he hung up.
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Amy Rasmussen
August 16, 2023
In response toMy mom got a call from her…AfterVanessa
You are amazing! Great ID trick!
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Cookie
August 17, 2023
In response toMy mom got a call from her…AfterVanessa
Bless her! About 15 years ago, my dad lost about $5,000 in one of these scams. He got a call from someone claiming to be my son and said his wife was in jail (which is totally believable 😀) and he needed money to get her out. And when he sent the money, he was hospitalized for a stroke. When my son showed up, the truth came out. 😢 It wasn't the first time and he was a smart man. He just wanted to believe in the best in people.
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Walda Ruiz
August 14, 2023
Good advice, thanks!
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Gold Rush Antiquities
August 14, 2023
EFT (Electronic Funds Transfers) can also cause problems. Be especially careful where a service company (such as Xfinity, Dish, etc.) requires you to manage your account paperlessly. The only users of EFT are the companies that receive the funds. Your bank transfers a certain amount to the bank of the service companies. You are not guaranteed that the money has been received until you start receiving reminders or threats to stop providing services. Although your bank gives you a verification code, it can easily be "lost" by the service company. Companies that otherwise require electronic solutions (they'll charge you a penalty fee) must report to the Federal Trade Commission. This is an illegal practice.
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Piotr GB
August 14, 2023
Fraudsters are getting smarter every day and are working 24/7 trying to steal our money. As a former bank manager, I have seen some of the most sophisticated scams, so none of us are immune to them and we have to use common sense, like a simple check or a phone call.
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April
August 14, 2023
Remember that no one from the government will call you unexpectedly. They usually call you if you have a case you are working on. If you are applying for social security or benefits or need help paying the IRS. Usually, you set a time when they will call you. Otherwise you will never get an invitation. They are too busy to be called unexpectedly. Anyone who claims to be a government employee and calls you because you need something fixed is a scammer. If you have a problem that they just found out about, they will go the paper route first and always call them first before picking up or making an appointment, never use the number from the letter, get the number yourself from their official site. Because fraudsters also send letters. Check and check again, never send money because the government will not ask you to send money by phone or mail. You will have an official account set up on their official payment website. But if nothing has changed in terms of wealth income, you don't suddenly go into debt, that's not how it works.
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Nygaarda Charmaine'a
August 16, 2023
Thank you 😊
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Anna Jackson
August 21, 2023
I was scammed by a person claiming to be calling from Comcast and offering a 50% Comcast bill promotion for 2 years, no contract. They partnered with Target for this promotion, so I had to get a Target gift card. The caller even told me what my Comcast bill was, which made me think it was really Comcast. I was deceived. I notified the FTC, Target, the company that issued my credit card (I purchased a gift card with my cc), and Comcast. I told them it was an inside job because they knew what my Comcast bill was. I have been trying to contact the Oakland Police Department for 2 WEEKS and their phone lines have STAYED busy. There used to be a video that said their phone lines were down. Well, my company CC (American Express) refused to hold the payment. Target refused any help. The FTC responded with an email telling me it had received my complaint - and NOTHING more. Comcast told me who to notify about Sunday. And that's where it stopped. The following week I received 2 more calls from the scammer. It's a cold, cruel world. wake people up
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FAQs
Is Cash App or Venmo better than Zelle? ›
Zelle Vs Venmo Vs Cash App: Conclusion
These money transfer apps are part of the top ones in the U.S. They all provide easy services to their customers to send money and purchase goods. So, if you need to send money quickly and easily between bank accounts, Zelle is the best option.
Winner: Cash App
If you have a checking account with a high street bank in the US, Zelle is the cheapest way to send money to friends, family, and trusted small businesses. CashApp functions like a digital wallet and is free to use if you opt for standard 3-day bank transfers.
What Is the Most Secure Payment App? One of our choices for best overall, PayPal, uses robust encryption technology, and you can dispute any payments you did not make or made by mistake. As with any financial app, it's essential to be cautious about how you use a payment app.
Why do people use Venmo and Cash App? ›Cash App and Venmo provide easy and straightforward ways to send and receive money, either from a mobile device or a web browser. If you want to transfer money between friends and family, you can't go wrong with either option. But for additional features, you might need to compare the differences between the apps.
Which app is safer Zelle or Venmo? ›However, while Zelle may appear more secure, applications like Venmo and PayPal are just as secure. All of them use data encryption to protect users against unauthorized transactions and store users' data on servers in secure locations. Venmo also offers users the ability to set a PIN code for access to the mobile app.
Which is safer to use Cash App or Zelle? ›Cash App allows you to hold cash balances and other financial services. Are Zelle and Cash App safe? Cash App and Zelle both use high-security measures to protect app users, their money and their personal information. This includes high-level encryption, notifications and alerts, and two-factor authentification.
What is downside of using Zelle? ›What Are the Cons of Zelle? Just as with any app, Zelle has disadvantages. They include: Inability to cancel a payment after it's been sent if the recipient is enrolled in Zelle. No availability of a Zelle-branded debit or credit card.
When should you not use Zelle? ›Beware of Payment Scams
Zelle® doesn't offer a protection program for authorized payments, so only use Zelle® to pay people you know and trust.
With Zelle®, you can send money from your account to someone else's within minutes1. It's a great way to pay friends, family, your coworkers and almost anyone else you trust, but it shouldn't be used to pay strangers.
Which is the number 1 payment app? ›What is the best way to pay with your phone? ›
Google Pay works on any Android 5.0 smartphone (or newer) with Near-Field Communication (NFC), and several Wear OS smartwatches including Huawei Watch 2, Fossil and TicWatch models. Samsung Pay works on the Samsung Galaxy s6 and more recent models, the Galaxy A series of smartphones and Samsung Galaxy watches.
Who is best payment app? ›- Download PhonePe (Android | iOS)
- Download Google Pay (Android | iOS)
- Download Paytm (Android | iOS)
- Download Amazon Pay (within Amazon app) (Android | iOS)
- Download BHIM (Android | iOS)
- Download Freecharge (Android | iOS)
- Low early limit for the first 30 days. One of the biggest disadvantages of Cash App is that you are limited to sending and receiving up to $1,000 during the first 30 days on the app. ...
- Does not come with Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) coverage. ...
- Cannot be used internationally.
Potential scams and hackers.
The biggest downside to using Venmo is the potential for your money to be stolen. If a hacker gains access to your Venmo, it's pretty easy to change the associated bank account – so the hacker could change the account to their own and transfer the money in your Venmo to their bank.
In general, Zelle is better if the only thing you're looking for is a fast, free way to send money. Venmo can do the same thing, but it takes slightly longer to move money into your bank account unless you pay a fee to speed things up.
Why do people prefer Zelle over Cash App? ›Send and Receive money
After that, payments will automatically appear in your bank account if using Zelle, or your Cash App balance if using Cash App. This means that your money is never held in a third party location when using Zelle, which some users may prefer.
Azimo vs Wise
The main difference between Zelle and Venmo is that Zelle is a free service, with zero fees attached while Venmo offers free next business day transfer service, with a 1% fee attached to instant transfers. Gone are the days of paying friends back in cash.
Does Zelle Report to the IRS in 2023? No, Zelle does not report your payments to the IRS and currently does not have a plan to begin reporting this information. The company notes that the law does not apply to its network since it is a network of FDIC-insured banks.
Is Cash App safe to send money? ›Cash App uses cutting-edge encryption and fraud detection technology to make sure your data and money is secure. Any information you submit is encrypted and sent to our servers securely, regardless of whether you're using a public or private Wi-Fi connection or data service (3G, 4G, or EDGE).