Making ends meet: Safety measures to consider when sending and receiving money through apps

With Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, sending and receiving money has never been easier.

But how safe is it?

Con artists took advantage of 18 million Americans through online payment apps or digital wallets according to researchers.

And it’s nearly impossible to get your money back through the apps.

Schemes involving mobile payment apps are three to four times higher than traditional payment methods.

In order to protect yourself, download only the apps you trust.

In an AARP survey, more than half of people who use mobile payment apps falsely believe they would get their money back if they sent the money in error.

Double-check before you send someone money.

And don’t do it while using public WiFi.

Even if you know who you’re sending the money to, hackers can easily grab your information this way.

Another safety measure is to use a credit card for mobile app payments. They have better fraud protection than debit cards.

WINK News reached out to PayPal, Venmo, Zelle and Cash App. They all said to only send or receive money from people you trust.

And if you think you are a victim of fraud, contact customer support immediately.