This payment app scam could wipe out your bank account within minutes - KPRC Click2Houston

HOUSTON – Peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle, Venmo and the Cash App are very popular, even more so during the pandemic because you can exchange money without ever handling cash and coins.

But if you’re not careful, you could fall for a scam that could drain your bank account in seconds.

Sakala Lewis uses all of the major payment apps to collect money from people when she does babysitting or pet sitting.

She had never had a problem with them until she needed to contact someone with Cash App about a payment that was sent to the wrong account.

He told her the test verification required her to download the Team Viewer app so he could quote “verify her account was legit.”.

A few seconds into the so-called test, Sakala started getting notifications of money transfers.

"So, I went to my bank account and he was saying, 'Ma’am, you need to stay on Cash App.

The man on the other end of the line wasn’t with Cash App at all but in less than five minutes, he nearly depleted Sakala’s bank account.

As a reminder, the Cash App team will never ask customers to send them money, nor will they solicit a customer’s PIN or sign-in code outside of the app

These payment apps are very convenient, but they can also be risky if you pay the wrong person or need to speak directly to someone in customer service