14 Cash App scams to be aware of in 2025

Scams carried out by fraudsters on Cash App put your money and identity at risk. Former Cash App employees and public servants are calling for more consumer protections like transfer limits and user verification requirements, but in the meantime, learning how these scams work can help you take steps to avoid them.

To get started, learn more about common types of Cash App scams, how they work, and what you can do to keep yourself safer as you transact on Cash App.

14 common types of Cash App scams

Cash App scams often involve phishing, social engineering, or impersonation, with third-party scammers using diverse approaches to target unsuspecting or vulnerable users on the platform.

Here are 14 of the most common Cash App scams and tips for how to identify them, so you can keep your finances and identity safer.

1. Cash flipping

Cash App cash flipping scams involve a scammer posing as a financial expert and suggesting they can turn a small amount of money into a larger sum within a short time. They often start with the scammer making contact on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).

Some cash flipping scammers will initially ask for a small amount of money, which they’ll appear to successfully “flip” by sending you more money back. They’ll then request a larger sum, guaranteeing a larger return, which they’ll disappear with.

Here’s how to identify a potential cash flipping scam:

1. Unrealistic promises: The scammer will fake expertise and claim they can multiply your money (often by an unrealistic amount, like 10 times) through an in-app function, app partnership, or system loophole.
2. The hook: They may provide fake testimonials, credentials, or “evidence” to try and gain your trust.
3. Transferring funds: They’ll ask you to provide them money to flip, and once they receive the funds on Cash App, will disappear or block you.

2. Loan scams

Loan scams on Cash App are a type of loan fraud where scammers falsely promise a loan, but first request processing fees or personal information they can use in identity theft. Once they’ve received the money or personal info, the “lender” will disappear, leaving you out of pocket or vulnerable to another fraudulent attack.

Here’s how to identify a Cash App loan scam:

1. Upfront fee: You receive an unsolicited message from someone claiming they can secure a loan, regardless of your financial situation, in exchange for an upfront fee.
2. Transferring funds: The scammer will typically instruct you to transfer the upfront fee via Cash App or share personal information, such as your Social Security number, promising that the loan will follow.
3. Disappearance: The “lender” will disappear with the funds you’ve transferred or your data and may block you or delete their own account to cover their tracks.

3. Accidental payment scams

In an accidental payment scam, also known as a refund scam, fraudsters claim to have mistakenly sent money to your Cash App account and ask for you to return it.

However, after you send the money back, the scammer will try to reverse the initial transfer made into your account, which may have used stolen credit card information or been made from an account with insufficient funds.

Here’s how to identify an accidental payment scam:

1. Unexpected payment received: You receive a notification from Cash App that somebody transferred money to your account, and you don’t recognize the sender’s $cashtag or account details.
2. Request to receive money back: The scammer pleads with you to return the "accidentally sent" money. They might ask you to return the money to a different Cash App account, claiming they used the wrong account for the original transaction.
3. The scam: If you send the money back, the scammer will try to reverse the original payment they sent and then disappear, leaving you out of pocket.

4. Rental deposit scams

Rental deposit scams on Cash App involve scammers posing as lessors and advertising fake rental properties on other platforms. They aim to pressure potential renters who show interest in the fake property to send a deposit through Cash App, claiming there’s no time for a viewing because the property is in high demand.

If you fall for it and send a deposit, the scammer will disappear, potentially taking the listing down with them, leaving you without the promised rental property and minus hundreds or thousands of dollars.

These scams generally exploit the urgency and stress associated with finding housing and often target individuals in vulnerable situations.

Here’s how to identify a potential rental deposit scam:

1. Fake listing: Scam property listings may appear on legitimate real estate, social media, or classified ad websites, but they’ll generally feature completely fake properties, real properties that are unavailable, or properties at unbelievably attractive prices.
2. Initial contact: If you inquire about the property and request a viewing, the scammer may claim they can’t show you around in person because there’s too much demand or they’re unavailable for weeks or months.
3. Urgency: The fake lessor will often pressure you to decide quickly, perhaps claiming that several other potential tenants are waiting. They may ask for a large deposit or a month's rent and, if you make a payment, will take the funds and stop communicating.

5. Investment scams

Investment scams like the Cash App Bitcoin scam or pyramid schemes exploit vulnerable users without investment knowledge. These “get-rich-quick” schemes often promise high returns for minimal risk.

Scammers may entice victims with promises of exclusive investment opportunities, insider trading information, or the ability to exploit “glitches” in the financial system.

Here’s how to identify an investment scam on Cash App:

1. Fake investment opportunities: Scammers may reach out to you via social media or email, presenting an opportunity for a lucrative investment. The opportunity might be a “rising stock” or a cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin.
2. Direct in-app payments: If you show interest, the scammer will request that you send investment funds through Cash App. Once they receive payment, they’ll go no-contact and may block you to prevent you from following up.

6. Cash App Card scams

The Cash App Card is a Visa debit card linked to your Cash App balance. It lets you spend your funds in physical stores or withdraw cash from ATMs.

Scammers may use phishing schemes to try to steal your Cash App Card details, including the CVV (Card Verification Value), by impersonating Cash App support representatives in emails, texts, or phone calls. If you give them this information, you’ll be vulnerable to financial fraud, as the scammer will have the information they need to spend your funds online.

Here’s how to identify Cash App Card scams:

1. Direct messages: Scammers may impersonate Cash App customer service in phishing emails or texts, claiming there's a problem with your Cash App Card that requires immediate attention.
2. Fraudulent links: The scammer may request you send your Cash App Card information in a reply, or provide a link that leads you to a fake webpage containing a form that will steal your information.
3. Unauthorized transactions: If they get your Cash App Card details, the scammer can make unauthorized transactions, draining your Cash App balance.

7. Fake pet deposit scams

Fake pet deposit scams on Cash App target animal lovers who want a new pet at a reduced rate. These scammers often play on people’s emotions by spinning stories about why they can no longer keep their beloved pets.

Once they hook a target, the scammer requests upfront payments via Cash App for various expenses, including transportation fees, veterinary care, or rehoming fees.

Here’s how to identify a fake pet deposit scam:

1. Fake pet listings: Scammers may post advertisements on social media or classified ad platforms like Craigslist, offering pure bred pets at low prices.
2. Communication: The scammer will pose as the pet owner or breeder and try to build trust with you if you make contact. They might ask qualifying questions to ensure their pet goes to a good home, for example.
3. Payment requests: If you agree to a deal with the scammer, they’ll request money for transportation, insurance, or vaccination. They may insist on using Cash App to secure payment. Once payment is received, they can block you and disappear with your money.

8. Social engineering scams

Social engineering scams exploit human psychology to trick you into revealing personal information, such as passwords, financial details, or other sensitive data. In the context of Cash App, social engineering scams take advantage of users’ trust and possible lack of knowledge.

A Cash App social engineering scam might involve the scammer getting in touch via a messaging app like Facebook or WhatsApp, impersonating your friends or family members, and claiming they’re in urgent need of financial help. They’ll then ask for funds to be transferred on Cash App.

Here’s how to identify social engineering scams:

1. Impersonation of friends or family: Scammers impersonate a friend or family member in distress. They may have hacked one of your contact’s accounts or devices, or could use an unknown number and claim they’re on a new phone.
2. Communication: Scammers may request money via Cash App so they can pay for an emergency. This could be a hospital bill, plane ticket, or some other big-ticket “necessity.” Once payment is received, they will stop responding.

9. Data breach scams

Data breach scams involve scammers capitalizing on reports of data breaches — incidents where sensitive, protected, or confidential data has been exposed — to get your information.

If you’re targeted by a data breach scam, the scammer will exploit your fear of having your personal information compromised to trick you into revealing your login credentials, sharing sensitive details, or clicking malicious links.

Here’s how to identify data breach scams:

1. Fear exploitation: A scammer will send you an email or message falsely claiming that Cash App has experienced a data breach. They’ll aim to create a sense of urgency and panic, telling you to act fast to secure your money.
2. Fraudulent links: The message may contain a link to a phishing website that requests your login credentials, personal information, or financial details.
3. Compromised identity: The scammer can then capture this information and use it to access your Cash App account or bank accounts, commit credit fraud, or steal your identity.

10. Job offer scams

Job offer scams prey on desperate job seekers with promises of employment offering high pay, competitive benefits, or work-from-home opportunities.

The catch? They require hopeful applicants to pay upfront fees — often through platforms like Cash App — for training materials, equipment, or background checks. These jobs are typically non-existent, and if you fall for the scam, the scammer will disappear with your money.

Here’s how to identify job offer scams:

1. Fake job listings: Scammers post job listings on job boards and social media platforms or send out mass emails, offering attractive work-from-home opportunities or high-paying positions. These job offers often feature clear red flags, like requiring little to no experience.
2. Payment for training or equipment: After offering the job to you, the scammer will insist you need to pay for training materials, software, equipment, or a background check, and request payment through Cash App. If you make payment, the scammer will disappear and the promised job will never materialize.

11. Charity scams

Charity scams are an example of good faith scams, involving fraudsters taking advantage of others' goodwill by pretending to be a legitimate charity. Scammers may solicit donations as a fake charity or impersonate a real one. Once a donation is made via Cash App, the scammer disappears, and the promised charitable work is never carried out.

Here’s how to identify charity scams:

1. Exploitation of current events: Scammers often exploit natural disasters, pandemics, or social issues, understanding that these situations inspire people to give. They might reach out to you directly through social media, email, or even Cash App direct messages, requesting donations for the cause.
2. Fake charities: Scammers may set up fake charity names or fraudulently impersonate legitimate charities. They may even go as far as creating fake websites and social media accounts to provide fake proof of legitimacy.
3. Money transfer: Scammers may provide a $cashtag (Cash App's payment URL) for you to send money to. Once received, they will block the user and go no-contact.

12. QR code scams

QR code scammers develop schemes to trick targets into scanning misleading QR codes. They may place these QR codes in public spaces or share them on websites or social media platforms, claiming that they lead to a discount, free gift, or important information like a Wi-Fi password.

Instead, if you scan the code, you may be directed to a phishing website that tries to steal your Cash App details, triggers a malware download, or starts an automatic Cash App transfer.

Here’s how to identify QR code scams:

1. Manipulated QR codes: Scammers create fraudulent QR codes and post them online, print them out to place in public, or send them directly to potential victims.
2. Fraudulent web page or malware: The fake QR codes often lead to malicious web pages that will prompt you to fill out a form with personal or financial information under a false premise. They can also trigger a malware download, giving the scammer the opportunity to steal additional information from your device.

13. Customer support scams

Cash App customer support scams involve a fraudster posing as a company representative and calling, emailing, or texting you to offer “support.”

They may claim to detect suspicious activity on your account, offer assistance with resolving issues, or request personal information for "verification" purposes. Whatever ruse they use, their real aim is to steal your login credentials or personal information to get access to your Cash App or linked bank accounts, where they can steal funds.

Here’s how to identify Cash App customer support scams:

1. Fake support offers: Scammers may get in touch with you directly via a Cash App direct message, email, or text, and pretend to be contacting you from Cash App customer support.
2. Information theft: These fake representatives may claim they need to verify your identity or get access to your account to protect you against scammers and will ask for confidential information, such as login credentials, personal information, or financial details.

14. Social Security scams

Social Security scams on Cash App aim to exploit your concern about the safety of your Social Security number (SSN). Scammers may attempt to trick you into believing somebody has access to your SSN, for example, or that you’re eligible for a new card.

They will then request you transfer funds via Cash App for “verification,” “protection,” or as a “support processing fee.”

Here’s how to identify a Cash App Social Security scam:

1. Initial contact: The scam begins when you receive a phone call, email, or text message, purportedly from a government agency or law enforcement, claiming there’s an issue with your SSN.
2. Instruction to transfer funds: The scammer will then request money under false pretenses, suggesting a Cash App payment.

How to report Cash App scams

If someone scams you on Cash App, you should report it directly to Cash App so they can take steps to investigate the issue, remove the scammer from the platform, and possibly improve their security measures to help prevent future scams.

How to report a scam payment on Cash App

1. Select the scam payment in Cash App.
2. Tap … in the top right corner.
3. Choose Report an issue.
4. Select I was scammed.

How to report a scammer’s account on Cash App

1. Tap on the scammer's profile picture.
2. Scroll down and select Report.
3. Then, select Block to prevent future interactions.

If you need additional support, you can also contact Cash App support directly, either online, in the app, or by calling the Cash App customer support phone number — (800) 969-1940.

To report a Cash App scam to the authorities:

If you fell victim to a Cash App scam, you can also file a report with the local police and notify your bank. The former will create a paper trail that helps you with any future claims, while the latter might help you get the scammed money refunded through a chargeback.

You should also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC collects information on scams to track trends, identify perpetrators, and take legal action against them. By reporting your experience, you can contribute to a larger effort to combat fraud and help protect others from falling victim to similar scams.

Cash App security features

Cash App aims to keep users safe by offering a range of advanced security features including encryption, PIN numbers, biometric ID, and two-factor authentication. Here’s more on the Cash App security features you can use to help protect against scams on the platform:

• PINs: Cash App PINs are unique codes you can use to add an extra layer of security to your account, protecting against unauthorized parties getting access.
• Biometric ID: Cash App offers facial recognition and touch-based identification as biometric ID options, both enabled through the “Security Lock” feature.
• Two-factor authentication: Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) means you have to provide two forms of identification, like a password and a code sent to your phone number, to access your account.
• Encryption: Cash App uses end-to-end encryption, similar to what banks use in communications, which secures your data in transit by scrambling it, helping prevent it from being read if it’s intercepted.
• Fraud detection: Cash App uses advanced fraud detection algorithms and machine learning to identify and flag suspicious activities, helping protect users from scams and unauthorized transactions by proactively monitoring for unusual patterns and potential threats.
• Transaction limits: If your Cash App account is unverified, you can only send and receive up to $1,000 every 30 days. If verified, you can send up to $20,000 and receive up to $25,000 within a 30-day period. This helps protect you from scams and fraud by limiting the potential financial damage that can result from your account being compromised.

How to help avoid scams on Cash App

While Cash App has some security features, they can’t protect you completely from the risk of scams. It’s largely up to you to protect yourself by identifying potential scammers, guarding your personal information, making secure transactions, and keeping an eye out for scam warning signs.

Knowing about the common Cash App scams listed above is a great first step. Here are some additional tips you can use to help avoid Cash App scams:

• Verify identities before you send: Only send money to people you know and trust, and verify the recipient's identity by calling or texting them before completing transactions, if you notice anything suspicious. Also check if the recipients you’re sending funds to have verified Cash App accounts, proving that they signed up using authentic details.
• Don’t accept money from strangers: An unexpected payment from a stranger could be an accidental payment scam. While receiving money may not directly harm you, it could also be part of a larger scheme, such as money laundering. Never return unsolicited funds from strangers, as this can make you complicit in a crime. Instead, report the activity to Cash App.
• Be skeptical of overpayment and refunds: Be wary of anyone who overpays and asks for a refund of the surplus. They may have made the original payment with a stolen card or an account with insufficient funds.
• Protect personal information: Never share your Cash App PIN or any other sensitive information with others. Legitimate customer service representatives will never make unsolicited contact to ask for this information.
• Conduct transactions over secure networks: Avoid using public Wi-Fi when making transactions, as these networks can be less secure, making it easier for hackers to intercept your data.
• Check your transaction statements: You can check your Cash App transaction statements by going to the Activity tab in the app. To detect scams, look for any unauthorized transactions, unfamiliar names, or requests for personal information.
• Password-protect your Cash App: Using a strong password and enabling 2FA makes it much harder for scammers to access your account, even if they obtain some of your personal information through phishing or other means. This helps prevent unauthorized transactions and protect your funds.

Boost your safety on Cash App

Cash App provides a convenient way to pay friends, family, or small businesses. However, as with any digital finance platform, you need to take proactive steps to protect against the risk of scammers. Understanding how Cash App scams work and what you can do to protect against them is a great first step.

For additional protection, use LifeLock Standard. As a LifeLock member, you’ll benefit from a range of features including credit monitoring and alerts^† of potential identity theft or fraud using your details. You’ll also qualify for up to $25,000^†† in stolen funds reimbursement following identity theft, helping to minimize the risk of serious financial losses.

FAQs

Will Cash App give me my money back if I’m scammed?

Cash App doesn’t guarantee a refund for any fraudulent transactions or scam payments you make after falling for a scammer’s ploy. However, you can contact Cash App support to dispute a transaction, report a scam, and explore your options.

What should I do if I don’t have Cash App but received a text message?

If you get a text claiming to be from Cash App, or requesting you make a payment using Cash App, but you don’t have a Cash App account, it’s likely to be a scam. Don’t respond and consider blocking the sender’s number to help protect yourself.

Is it safe to receive a Cash App payment from an unknown person?

While it may be an innocent mistake, receiving a Cash App payment from a stranger could be a sign of an accidental payment scam. In this scheme, a scammer sends a payment, then contacts you claiming it was a mistake and requests you send it back to a different account. They then try to push a refund request through for the original transfer, leaving you out of pocket.