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phenry17 OP t1_ivb56ux wrote

Reply to comment by enraged_hbo_max_user in Someone randomly venmoed me $250. The description was “catch this crook”. They commented to refund them. Confused due to scams like this. What do I do? by phenry17

I’m not 100% certain how it works. When sending friends money, I sometimes have to add their last 4 of their phone number. Be it, my phone number is only because of my business so that could be bypassed.

Maybe since it’s a “public” be “private” send that can make the difference.

I’ve been on Reddit long enough to acknowledge red flags. This is huge. Especially the initial request from them for ME to send THEM money. Followed by them sending me money and immediately wanting it back.

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enraged_hbo_max_user t1_ivb5lai wrote

Well it is definitely a scam. I’m just wondering what, if any, repercussions you would face if you just shrugged, took the money and ran, closed your Venmo account, and ignored all requests from them in the future.

Scammers are usually fine losing the carrot they’re dangling in front of their marks, but $250 seems larger than usual, which is why I’m wondering if you could/should just grab-and-go, so to speak.

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phenry17 OP t1_ivb6hlw wrote

Very good points you raise. I have similar thoughts. I could always ask my attorney if the issue persists. They have been blocked and I plan on simply holding that in my Venmo for it a bit.

I know a lot of organizations in the PGH area that could use these funds. I don’t need them, but there are people who could benefit from these stupid scammers.

Short story: my grandpa was on his way to “pick me up from jail” using gift cards he bought from Walmart. Someone called him, impersonating me, and had him buy gift cards to get me out of jail. (I was at work then I got the call from uncle asking if I was locked up). Luckily my uncle was able to stop my Popop from losing hundred of dollars. Scammers suck.

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enraged_hbo_max_user t1_ivb72de wrote

There’s this YouTube channel of this guy scamming scammers, he has hundreds of hours of content. Some of it is incredibly interesting. Gets old fast because it’s literally just him owning them over and over again, but it’s worth checking out when you’re feeling frustrated lol

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phenry17 OP t1_ivb7ffg wrote

Oh I’ve seen videos of the big ones infiltrating and taking down entire call scamming centers. It’s a huge problem and I love seeing the justice served in those videos.

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