Payment app scams are on the rise and once you hit send, you're unlikely to get your cash back. How to protect yourself

Core Insights - The safety of payment apps is less about the brand and more about user behavior, particularly in recognizing scams [3] Group 1: Payment App Usage and Risks - Payment apps facilitate easy transactions but are increasingly associated with scams, making it crucial for users to understand how to protect themselves [2][3] - A Pew Research Center survey in 2022 indicated that about 13% of U.S. adults using payment apps reported falling victim to scams [5] - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported 90,571 cases of payment-app fraud in 2024, nearly double from the previous year [5] Group 2: Recovery and Protection Issues - Once money is sent via payment apps, it is typically irreversible, making these platforms attractive to fraudsters [4] - Major payment apps like Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Cash do not fully reimburse users who authorize payments to scammers, with recovery options limited to cases of account hacking [7] - Unlike bank accounts, funds in payment apps may not be insured against company failures, lacking the protection provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) [8]