Police are warning the public of a new digital pickpocketing scheme involving young kids who pretend to be lost and then borrow phones from unsuspecting victims to call their parents. However, instead of calling their moms or dads, the young swindlers access the phone owner's Venmo app to transfer money to another account.
This happened to Laura Grasso, 29, who encountered two lost kids, under 10, in Central Park. They told her they needed her phone to get in touch with their mom.
After the encounter, Grasso told the New York Post that she received a notification informing her that $1,000 was transferred from her Venmo account to an unlisted number for a Black Lives Matter "fun raising business." The young woman was in shock and complete disbelief and then realized that the rest of her phone's content could be compromised.
'Why let a stranger use your phone?'
Grasso immediately went to the police to report the digital pickpocketing scheme, but the Central Park Precinct initially refused to take her report. The police even berated her for letting strangers use her phone.
After much prodding, Grasso's complaint was filed as petty theft, and an investigation into the modus is underway. The woman also got in touch with Venmo to report the fraudulent activity. The financial app was able to cancel the fake account and refund Grasso's $1,000.
"Thank God I got it back," the woman said, adding that she has become less trusting of helping people out, even if they look like innocent kids. "It sucks to have that much taken from you."
A similar incident happened to a woman in Florida in February. Sharon Fraser was walking her dog in the park when a 12-year-old kid approached to borrow her phone because his gadget died and he needed to call his family to let them know his location.
Fraser told ABC7 that her first instinct was to help the boy. He used the speaker phone and asked Fraser if he could use the map app. The woman said she watched the boy the whole time and was barely a foot away from him.
Days later, the woman got an alert from her phone of two approved Venmo transfers costing $3,800. She immediately called Venmo to chase the refund, and they traced the transaction's timeline to the boy's phone call.
Fraser got her money back and reported the incident to the police. She was advised to activate the face ID, touch ID, or pin access on the apps, not just on the phone, so that transactions will need her verification to push through.
Be on guard as Venmo scams are rampant
According to Aura, the scam involving strangers asking to use someone else's phone is one of 11 modus that Venmo users should be aware of. Instead of letting the children use the phone, offer to contact whoever they want to call or tell them you will call the police for them. Also, offer to walk the children to a shop or business where you can wait for their parents to pick them up.
The website also warns against unexpected transfers, which will be followed by a message that the person made a mistake of sending money. Unfortunately, Venmo's fraud protection system is not the most secure, but the good thing is you can always call them to verify and ask for assistance.
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