Texts claiming to be Venmo offer prize money or copy Venmo’s login code with a link added. Venmo says it never asks for that code or for money to verify an account. How to check.
What the text usually says
Venmo describes two versions. One is good news: a text or email “with a link saying that you have won money from Venmo.” The other copies Venmo’s real sign-in code message, but adds a link “to a site that will phish your personal information, like your Venmo password.”
Both end at a page that looks like Venmo and asks you to sign in. Some go a step further and ask for a small payment to “verify” the account before the prize can be sent — something Venmo says outright it never asks for.
What Venmo says it won’t do
Venmo’s own lines: “A Venmo agent will never ask you for this code under any circumstances.” “Venmo will never ask you to send money to ‘verify’ your account.” And its real multi-factor message “does not contain a link for you to click.”
Venmo adds that it will never ask to access your device remotely, and never ask you to install a third-party app. Either request, by text or on a call, is a scam.
How to check
Venmo’s advice: “If there’s an urgent need for you to complete something on your account, you can find this information by logging into Venmo or by opening your Venmo app.” It also says never to enter your Venmo sign-in anywhere except Venmo.com and the Venmo app.
A prize that only exists inside a text message doesn’t exist.
How to report it
Venmo wants a scam text reported as a screenshot. Take a screenshot of the message that shows the full phone number, send it to phishing@venmo.com as an attachment, and then delete the message.
The FTC also suggests forwarding scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) and reporting them at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already tapped the link or paid
Who to call depends on how the money left, and the sooner the better. Here is who to call for each way of paying.
Got one and not sure?
Paste it into Second Look, or text it over, and Rowan will tell you in plain English what it sees. Free, and no account.
Sources
What Venmo says is quoted from its own pages. Rowan isn’t affiliated with Venmo.
- Venmo: Reporting fake or suspicious messages or emails, checked on September 26, 2026
- Venmo: Common scams on Venmo, checked on September 26, 2026
- FTC: How to recognize and report spam text messages, checked on September 26, 2026