VENMO $300

Consumer alert: Facebook Marketplace and Venmo fraud alert for troubleshooters

Pennsylvania's Center Valley (WPVI) -- A viewer has directly sent us a consumer alert.

She informs our troubleshooter Nydia Han that she was the target of scammers who tried to steal her money using Venmo and Facebook Marketplace.


The viewer claims that she failed to notice several warning signs that would have alerted her to the fraud, and she wants other people to take note of her blunders. A pleasant finish to the narrative because of the Troubleshooters.

"I've been using Facebook Marketplace to sell a lot of my goods. I think it's a really good method to market products," Beth Freebairn, a Lehigh County resident, remarked.

After attempting to sell a chair on the site for $50, Freebairn is now raising the alarm.


"This person was doing what you're supposed to, reaching out through the app, contacting you through the app."

When it came time for the buyer to make the payment, the issues began.
"They send like, they need to confirm your Venmo by sending you an email, which should have been red flag number one, but I didn't think about it," she explained.

According to Freebairn, the purported buyer instructed her to get in touch with the person listed in the email she received in order to convert her Venmo account from a personal to a business account and to pay for the upgrade.


"They're also very pushy as they're trying to contact you and saying 'You know this happens all the time, I've been through this before you just need to follow these steps'."
Red flag number two was that she felt under pressure to finish the transaction.

"It goes through a Gmail account, red flag number three," she stated.


Red flag is accurate. Venmo will only get in touch with you via email addresses that finish in Venmo.com.

Freebairn was correct—it was a scam—but she didn't know it until after she sent $300 through Venmo to pay for what she believed to be the Venmo account upgrade fee.
It's quite awkward. And I hope that someone else notices all those numerous warning signs," she remarked.

A buyer with an account location that is remote from yours, particularly if it is abroad, is another indicator of concern. Whenever a buyer requests a verification code, too.


Senders using Venmo will be required to verify the final four digits of a new recipient's phone number; however, this is not the same as a verification code you receive through email or text message.

She pleaded, "People, please don't get caught." "Stop when those red flags come up."
The good news is that Venmo reported that it was able to take down these specific scammers once the Troubleshooters informed the firm about the situation. Additionally, it has successfully settled the dispute with Freebairn, restoring her account's good status and removing the $300 debt from her.

For additional details:

Defending Yourself Against Fraud

Common Venmo scams

Study Up on Scams

Purchase Protection for Venmo

You can get your phone back by hitting this link if you fall for the Google verification code fraud.

When a potential buyer makes an offer on anything you're selling and then asks for the seller's phone number so they can send a verification code to confirm that they are who they say they are, that is a fraud.