How To Use Venmo Safely

Venmo is more than a payment app. It’s also a way to snoop on exes, check up on friends, and practice your emoji-decoding skills. Its appeal lies in it being an easy way to settle up with friends, whether it’s just for a cab ride on a night out or a weeklong getaway. And now with a partnership with Hallmark, it’s replacing one of the most old-fashioned ways to send money, tucking some cash into a card.

Still, the things that make Venmo so fun to browse and easy to use also make it a security risk. We have some tips for how to stay safe on the platform.

Add Authentication

As with any app, Venmo is susceptible to someone getting into your account if they have access to your phone. You can add a layer of security by enabling Face ID and a PIN. Go to Settings and then select Face ID & PIN and then toggle Enable Face ID & PIN to the on position. You’ll be asked to enter a passcode. Then you’ll be asked to either allow or not allow Face ID as well. Once you select your choice, you’re set. 

Keep Payments Private

Venmo transactions are public by default. Anyone in the public feed can see the payment note, the names of the sender and the recipient, and timestamp of the payment. 

To change that, you can visit Venmo online or open the app. For either, go to Settings, select Privacy, and then select Private. 

If you did not have your account set to private before and you want to hide your past transactions, stay on that last screen and click on Past Transactions and then select Change All to Private. 

Hide Your Friends

One big thing you might not realize about Venmo is that your friends list is also public by default. That’s generally not a great thing for security, and you should consider changing it. Here’s how:

To start, open the app and then go to Settings, select Privacy, then scroll down to Friends List, select it, and then click Private. While you are there, slide the tab next to Appear in Other Users’ Friends Lists so that it is not green.

Check Your Data

If you want to see what data about you Venmo has, you can request a copy of it. Go to Venmo.com and log in, then go to Settings, and select Privacy. You’ll see a Your Privacy Rights section. Click the link under it that says Your Privacy Rights. You’ll be able to select the data you want to receive in the report. Choose the file type you’d like to receive and then select SubmitRequest. It should take just a day or two to receive the report but it may take up to 30 days. When the report is done, you’ll get an email and then an SMS with a password to open the report.

Make Sure You’re Sending Money to the Right Place

Finding friends on Venmo often means scrolling through a list of people with the same name, hoping to find a photo that lets you know the right person is going to get your cash. A faster way to find someone is by scanning the unique QR code associated with their account. Have them hit the Me tab and then click the QR icon next to their avatar. They can then share the QR code with you through text or email or you can simply scan it directly with your own phone. 

If you do end up sending money to the wrong person, you can contact Venmo support with this form or open a help chat in the app or call (855) 812-4430. Have on hand the user name of the person you accidentally sent the funds to; the amount and date of the payment; and the user name, phone number, and email address of the person that you meant to pay.

Don’t Leave Money Sitting In Your Account

Once someone has paid you on Venmo, move the money to a bank account as soon as possible. The money sitting in your account is not federally insured as it would be with an accredited banking institution and if something happens to Venmo, you might not have any way to recoup it, depending on the laws in your state. 

Be Aware of Scams

Scams abound but there are several in particular that you’ll want to look out for regarding Venmo. The company has a list of the common ones on its site:

• Fake prize or cash reward

• Call from Venmo

• Text messages pretending to be Venmo

• Call from tech support

• Fake payment confirmation or request for tracking details

• Pre-payment for goods and services

• Stranger posing as a friend

• Payments from strangers

• Offers to make money fast

• Paper check scam

• Romance scam

If you do happen to fall for a scam, do not be embarrassed, it can happen to even savvy users. Contact Venmo support with this form or open a help chat in the app or call (855) 812-4430. You should also file a report with local law enforcement. And there are resources that can help at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, Fraud.org, and the Anti-Phishing Working Group.