Venmo scams typically involve accidental overpayments, fake purchase requests, or impersonation of customer support. Venmo does not refund scam payments — once sent, the money is gone.
About this scam type: Unexpected Venmo payment requests or Venmo-related fraud
ScamRadar verdict: likely-scam · Risk score: 79/100
Venmo notification: @venmo-support has sent you a payment request for $487.00 with note: Refund verification needed - call 1-855-555-0188 to release funds.
Anyone can create a Venmo handle with 'support' in it — that doesn't make it real. Venmo support never sends payment requests and never includes a phone number in a transaction note.
If you sent the payment, open Venmo, find the transaction in the activity tab, and request a refund — the recipient must accept it, and most scammers will not. Report the user inside the app under their profile (three dots > Report user). Contact Venmo support at venmo.com/help and request a fraud review. If you funded the payment with a credit card linked to Venmo, you have card-issuer dispute rights — call your card company. If you also called the phone number and gave any account information, change your Venmo password, your linked email password, enable two-factor authentication, and watch for additional unauthorized transfers. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov for any meaningful loss.
Real Venmo support never sends you payment requests, never asks you to call a phone number, and never operates through user-style profiles. Venmo's only real support channel is in-app at venmo.com/help and through the Help section of the app. Real Venmo notifications appear in the Notifications tab inside the app and are mirrored to your registered email from venmo@venmo.com only. If a notification is not in your in-app Notifications, Venmo did not send it.
No. Venmo support never sends payment requests, period. Any request from a profile claiming to be Venmo support is a scam regardless of the username.
Venmo payments to friends and family are typically final — you can request a refund but the recipient must accept. Payments funded by credit card may be disputable through your card issuer. Report the user in-app, contact Venmo support, and dispute any card charge if applicable.
A scammer 'accidentally' sends you money from a stolen account, then requests a refund. You return the money, but the original payment is later reversed by Venmo when the theft is reported, leaving you out the refund amount. Never refund 'accidental' Venmo payments — contact support instead.
No. Anyone can create a Venmo handle with 'support' in it. Real Venmo support never operates through user profiles. They only respond in-app or by email from venmo@venmo.com.
Inside the app, tap the user's profile, the three dots, then Block and Report. Contact Venmo support at venmo.com/help. File an FTC report at reportfraud.ftc.gov for any loss.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-24 by the ScamRadar editorial team. We update this page when scammer tactics change or when official agencies issue new guidance.
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