Kokua Line: Should I return Venmo payment from stranger?
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Question: I am new to Venmo and someone I don't know sent me money by mistake. My daughter said I shouldn't send it back because it's a scam. Is that right?
Answer: Quite possibly. The cash-transfer app describes more than a dozen common scams in its Help Center, and "payments from strangers" is one of them. In this scam, a stranger unexpectedly sends you money, contacts you saying it was a mistake and asks that you refund the cash as a new payment. The money you send will be deducted immediately from your Venmo account, but the electronic payment they sent you was ill-gotten and eventually will be disputed (for instance, they may have hacked someone else's Venmo account or opened a Venmo account with a stolen credit/debit card.)
"If you receive a payment request from a stranger, you should decline it," Venmo says.
Venmo is meant to be used among friends settling up group bills, for example, so any payment from a stranger who then wants the money back raises red flags. Honest mistakes can happen, but rather than following the stranger's instructions, you should immediately contact Venmo customer support through the app. They'll help reverse the payment or deal with the scammer, whichever is warranted. You also should block the user and check your privacy settings, Venmo says.
We emphasize that this scam involves a request for the money back because honest people sometimes do use Venmo to help individuals they don't know. After the Maui wildfires, for example, Venmo's immediate electronic cash transfers were a popular form of direct disaster aid — the distinction being that generous strangers sending payments didn't ask fire survivors to return the money.
In general, however, Venmo says, "It's best not to exchange payments with people who you don't know."
Receiving an unsolicited payment from a stranger doesn't necessarily mean your Venmo account has been hacked, especially if you aren't getting unexpected notifications from Venmo or seeing unauthorized transactions in your account. Someone who pays you on Venmo doesn't have access to your payment methods, such as your bank account information or your debit card number, the company says.
"Because we offer a search feature for accounts, occasionally Venmo users may pay strangers by mistake (often with the same name as their friend). In those cases, it's best to contact us to report that you were paid in error, then block the user to prevent the issue from happening in the future," Venmo says elsewhere in the Help Center, outside the scam list.
Find the Help Center in the app or online at . Once there, search "scams" to read about other common fraud attempts, including romance scams, fake cash rewards and others.
Q: Will the city incorporate the new hula show in its May Day festivities?
A: Yes. Wednesday's celebration at Kapiolani Park is scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m. with the Royal Hawaiian Band, followed at 10 a.m. by the Kilohana Hula Show and continuing throughout the day with a variety of Hawaiian culture and entertainment, according to a news release from the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. The Lei Court ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The Kilohana show, which began in February and now runs Sundays through Wednesdays, is inspired by the old Kodak Hula Show that ran for decades in the park until 2002.
Mahalo
I want to give a big mahalo to Dr. Brad and Connie Hall. I suffered a medical emergency in flight to Japan on April 11 and was fortunate enough to have Dr. Brad and Connie sitting behind me. They immediately leaped into action and monitored me. They stayed with me in flight and kept me stabilized and calm. Connie held me and was a tremendous source of comfort. Dr. Brad even accompanied me in the ambulance and at the ER, otherwise I would have been totally alone. They both are incredible people and I will be eternally grateful. I also want to thank the Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants, their Japan ground crew, JTB and NonStop tour manager and Japan tour guide. Their customer service was outstanding and truly gave me peace of mind in a time of crisis. — LeeAnn
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Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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