Florida police warn of scam tied to Venmo

CLEARWATER, Fla. (WVLT/WTSP) - Police in Clearwater, Florida are warning of a scam tied to the money transferring app Venmo, CBS affiliate WTSP reported.

The Clearwater Police Department announced that multiple people were scammed out of hundreds of dollars in the area because they believed they were helping strangers, but were instead talking to scammers.

Police said six times in June people were approached by someone who asked to use their phone to call a friend or a ride, but the scammer actually accessed the victim’s Venmo account and transferred money to their account instead.

The department gave tips, saying not to let anyone borrow your phone. Instead, if you want to help, dial the number for them and put your phone on speaker.

“Under no circumstances, especially in the era of COVID-19, should you hand your phone over to a stranger to use,” the police said on Facebook.

Never let strangers borrow your phone, no matter what kind of excuse they give you. If they need to make a call, make the call for them. We've had a string of recent fraudulent Venmo transfers where suspects have said they needed to call for a ride, then duped the victim. The victim ends up seeing a transfer of hundreds of dollars from their account to another account. Here are some tips from Detective Hyppolite on how to not become a victim.
Posted by Clearwater Police Department on Tuesday, July 14, 2020