How to Avoid Losing Your Money on P2P Payment Apps | Police FCU (2024)

Peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps such as Venmo, Zelle, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Facebook Payments, and Cash App make sending money from your checking account convenient and easy. P2P payment apps were originally designed to be a fast way to give money to someone you know, such as a family member or friend. It has, however, become commonplace to use them when paying strangers online for goods and services and unfortunately, scammers have now discovered them. It’s very important to know how to avoid losing your money on P2P apps.

The Risk in Using P2P Payment Apps

What many consumers do not realize is that P2P services have limited, if any, fraud protection, and they do not offer the same consumer protections as a credit card, debit card, or even writing a check. Once the money is sent, it’s gone.

When you send money outside of your financial institution through a peer-to-peer app, it is under no obligation to refund your lost money. Instead, you are bound to the user agreement terms within the P2P app utilized for the transaction.

How to Avoid Risks When Using P2P Apps

The best way to protect yourself and your money while using P2P cash apps is to follow these guidelines:

  • Send money only to people you know. Most P2P transactions are instantaneous and irreversible, a fact that scammers know and eagerly exploit.
  • Don’t use P2P payment services for business purposes. The terms of service for most P2P apps actually prohibit their use for purchasing goods and services. Look instead for a payment app specifically created for business users like PayPal or Square Cash for Business.
  • Always research the P2P app for customer service contacts and procedures before you use it. That way you’ll know what consumer protections are in place, if any, and where to go when you need help.
  • Keep your P2P apps up to date. If you have outdated software, you could be missing important security patches that scammers can exploit. It’s always important to stay on top of any and all application updates.
  • If you are a victim of P2P payment fraud, file a complaint. Companies accredited by the Better Business Bureau, including Venmo and Zelle’s operator, Early Warning Service, are required to respond to consumer complaints.

You can also lodge a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Complaint Database. The organization’s policy has been to report problems to companies for them to resolve.

Additionally, you can utilize Fraud.org’s secure compliant form. That information is then shared with more than 90 law enforcement and consumer protection agency partners.

Here’s the bottom line: Don’t send money to someone you don’t know. If the person on the other end of the P2P transaction is a stranger, stay safe and walk away.

For more financial safety tips from Police FCU, read our blog, “What to Do When Your Account Has Been Hacked.”

How to Avoid Losing Your Money on P2P Payment Apps | Police FCU (2024)

FAQs

How to Avoid Losing Your Money on P2P Payment Apps | Police FCU? ›

Don't give your account credentials to anyone that contacts you. Protect your account with multi-factor authentication or a PIN. Before you submit any payment, double-check the recipient's information to make sure you're sending money to the right person.

How can you avoid losing money on P2P? ›

Don't give your account credentials to anyone that contacts you. Protect your account with multi-factor authentication or a PIN. Before you submit any payment, double-check the recipient's information to make sure you're sending money to the right person.

How can you protect yourself and your money when using P2P payments? ›

Protecting Yourself From P2P Payment Fraud

Avoid transactions with sellers who have negative reviews or seem suspicious. Avoid Friends and Family Option: On some platforms, like PayPal, sending money using the "Friends and Family" option waives your right to buyer protection.

What is the main risk when using P2P apps? ›

First and foremost, because they're as fast and convenient for criminals, as they are for consumers, P2P apps—like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App—are favorite tools for modern-day scammers. It's also important to know that, even though they may be associated with your bank account, no fraud protections exist on P2P apps.

What are the problems with P2P payments? ›

From compromised accounts to fraudulent transactions, using a P2P service opens you to some risk of losing your money to a scammer.

Can you lose money in P2P lending? ›

Borrowers should be cautious of additional fees and potentially higher interest rates when considering a P2P loan. Lenders face the risk of losing their money if the borrower defaults on the loan. P2P loans can offer lower interest rates for borrowers with good credit and high returns for investors.

Is there a limit on P2P payments? ›

What is the transaction limit for a P2P transfer? If you've been enrolled in bill pay longer than 30 days, the maximum transfer amount is $1000.00. If you enrolled in bill pay within in the last 30 days, the maximum transfer amount is $500.00.

How do I keep P2P safe? ›

How to Protect Yourself from P2P Payments Fraud
  1. Pay and receive money only with people you know. ...
  2. Add a PIN or two. ...
  3. Use a protected payment source. ...
  4. Security and user experience. ...
  5. Keep your app up to date. Hackers exploit security vulnerabilities sometimes faster than the security pros can plug them.
Apr 8, 2024

What is the safest P2P? ›

Best Overall Prosper

It accepts borrowers with credit scores in the “fair credit” range and also allows joint applicants. And Prosper has outstanding customer reviews. Prosper is our choice as the best overall peer-to-peer lender because it works with borrowers with fair credit and offers a wide range of loan amounts.

How do I protect my online payments? ›

Here are the best ways for your business to process secure payments online.
  1. Understand your PCI compliance requirements. ...
  2. Encrypt data with TLS. ...
  3. Implement 3D Secure 2. ...
  4. Multi- or Two-Factor Authentication. ...
  5. Require Card Verification Value (CVV) ...
  6. Use payment tokenization.
Aug 25, 2023

What are the major risk in P2P process? ›

Beware of the top 5 risks in organizations during the procure-to-pay process. These include human errors, poor processes, non-compliance, extra costs, and fraud. Take the necessary steps to tackle them. One of which is using a fraud prevention software solution like Trustpair.

What are the cons of P2P payments? ›

The cons of P2P transfers

Below are some of the key disadvantages of P2P transactions: Refunds are nonexistent (or very hard to initiate). With no middleman involved, it's difficult to dispute charges after the fact. Human errors, like sending money to the wrong recipient, can happen.

How to use peer-to-peer payment apps safely? ›

Make sure your P2P apps have passwords or other protections, like Face ID, so someone can't pick up or “borrow” your phone and use the app to siphon money from your account. Yes, it happens. It's best to keep your running balance fairly low. Peer-to-peer apps aren't a great place to store or save money.

How can you lose money through P2P payments? ›

Scammers posing as a legitimate business may request a P2P payment for a product or service. Once they receive your money, you never receive what you paid for and they disappear. Treat P2P payments like cash — don't pay until you receive the product.

Why not to use P2P? ›

The big catch when using P2P programs and common file sharing platforms is that it compromises your company's security. Exposing your computers and your system to such a mode is filled with all sorts of risks. First, people can accidentally share files that aren't supposed to be for public consumption.

Why is P2P illegal? ›

The use of P2P networks to upload, download, or share copyrighted material, such as movies, music, and software, can violate the rights of copyright owners. In the P2P file-sharing context, infringement may occur, for example, when one person purchases an authorized copy and uploads it to a P2P network.

How to reduce risk in P2P lending? ›

Of course, with interest.
  1. Understand the platform. You should try to understand how the online P2P model works before lending money on it. ...
  2. Do not go overboard. Sure, P2P platforms can offer your higher double-digit returns. ...
  3. Split money among platforms. ...
  4. Choose the borrower wisely. ...
  5. Stay invested.

Is P2P investment risky? ›

Interest Rate Risk

The fixed returns from P2P loans may lose some competitiveness if market interest rates rise. You can reduce this risk by diversifying your investments across several loan durations and keeping an eye on interest rate changes.

How do you secure P2P lending? ›

The primary risk of P2P lending is that your investments and data may need to be more secure. To ensure your security, you should consider the security measures taken by the P2P platform you are using, such as encryption of data, authentication measures, and any other security protocols in place.

Is it safe to pay with P2P? ›

Peer-to-peer payment platforms and apps can be a secure, fast and easy way to send and receive payments, but you want to be aware of the risks. Even if you don't have to worry about the platform itself being hacked, many scammers use these apps to trick people into sending them money.

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