3 Things To Do If You Zelle Or Venmo The Wrong Person
Written by
J. Arky
Edited by
Angela Corry
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In the modern age, there are plenty of ways to send money to friends, family and people you contract for work. Using apps like Zelle, Venmo and others can be a convenient way to move cash out of your account and into someone else’s with the click of a button.
However, it’s not without its pitfalls, especially when you accidentally send money to someone you did not intend to.
Here are three things you should do if you Zelle or Venmo the wrong person:
Contact Customer Support
If you find yourself in a predicament where you accidentally send money to the wrong person, try reaching out to the appropriate helpline.
“Alert your bank regarding the issue,” Diana Rothfuss, Global Solutions Strategy Director — Risk, Fraud & Compliance at SAS. “While your bank may not be able to reverse the transaction directly, the service rep can provide guidance on next steps and monitor your account for any suspicious activity.”
Zelle is run through your banking app, so look for a “Contact Us” or customer service line to put in a claim as soon as you realize your error. Venmo also has the option to get in touch by way of email or chat, which you can find in the app, as well as their FAQ for “I accidentally paid a stranger.”
Most banks will allow you to file a claim to help get the money back, but it might take a little while, so it’s important to be patient as they go through the investigation process.
Attempt To Cancel The Payment
“Use the app’s support features to submit a request,” instructed Rothfuss. “With Venmo, you can send a charge request for the same amount with a note explaining the mistake. For Zelle, contact their customer support directly with all the transaction details.”
Technically, there is no official way to cancel a payment via Venmo — if you are a Venmo user, you probably have wished there was one on more than a few occasions. However, Venmo does have a few tips on its website for how to best cancel a payment as it pertains to the app, as well as some scenarios to be aware of in terms of user protection.
With Zelle, it’s a little trickier, but there is some hope: you can only cancel a payment made on Zelle if the recipient hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle themselves. All you need to do is go to the activity page within Zelle, look up the payment you want to cancel and click “Cancel this payment.” The bad news is if the recipient is enrolled with Zelle, the payment cannot be canceled.
Try Reaching Out To The Recipient
Even though technology has come a long way when it comes to sending money, it can still mess up by adding the wrong person’s name into the account or distracting the user during the process. If you send money to the wrong person and they are a friend, family member, or someone you know pretty well, reach out to them.
“If you discover that you sent money to the wrong person via your digital payment app, the first thing you should do is contact the person to whom you accidentally sent the money,” advised Rothfuss. “Explain the mistake and ask that they return the funds. Most people are understanding and will send back the funds.”
Usually, the wrong recipient can reject the money sent, which is put back into your bank account or they can just send you the money back once it has cleared on their end.
It is important to note that there is a rise in scams where those looking to defraud people send a Zelle or Venmo to someone and then ask for the money back. If you send the money to someone you don’t know that well, it’s worth reaching out to ask for the money back, but don’t expect them to immediately take action, if at all.
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