How to Safely Pay for Goods and Services With Someone You Don't Know (2024)

FAQs

How to Safely Pay for Goods and Services With Someone You Don't Know? ›

Venmo, Cash App, Google Pay, Zelle, PayPal, and wire transfer are some of the safest way to send money digitally. Money transfer apps are inexpensive and convenient options for paying family and friends. Wire transfers at a bank are ideal for securely sending large amounts domestically or internationally.

Venmo, Cash App, Google Pay, Zelle, PayPal, and wire transfer are some of the safest way to send money digitally. Money transfer apps are inexpensive and convenient options for paying family and friends. Wire transfers at a bank are ideal for securely sending large amounts domestically or internationally.

Credit cards offer features like encryption and fraud protection to help keep your personal information secure. In addition, credit card users are protected by federal law and can only be liable for up to $50 on fraudulent chargers.

Use Venmo only with people you trust: If you use Venmo only with people you know and trust, you're unlikely to get scammed by a stranger. Avoid accepting unsolicited payments: You can do this by blocking unknown users who try to request you and canceling any unusual transactions.

Only Send Money to Those You Trust

With Zelle^®, you can send money from your account to someone else's within minutes¹. It's a great way to pay friends, family, your coworkers and almost anyone else you trust, but it shouldn't be used to pay strangers.

Checks don't offer the same protection as credit cards.

If a thief steals money from your checking account, you must report the fraud within 2 days, or you could be on the hook for up to $500 of the fraudulent transactions. And if you don't report the fraud within 60 days, you could be liable for every penny.

ACH payments are more secure than card payments. A clearinghouse must clear all ACH transactions, and they typically have uncompromising regulations. All account numbers stay confidential, and ACH transfers go directly from one bank to the next.

Whether PayPal is safe to receive money from strangers depends on the safety measures you take. Verifying the sender's legitimacy, thoroughly reviewing the PayPal user agreement and practicing caution during transactions can help ensure a safe experience.

These include online purchases, phone-initiated payments, recurring payments, online invoice payments, and card-on-file payments. The least secure of these—and the least secure of all payment methods—are phone-initiated payments.

Is Zelle or Venmo safer? ›

Both of the payment services are decently safe, have user-friendly interfaces, and allow you to conveniently send money when you need it. Zelle stands out from Venmo with its absence of instant transfer fees, but it also cannot be used as a wallet. So, if you need a wallet function, you should go for Venmo .

TIME Stamp: Venmo is best for personal use, PayPal for merchant and foreign transactions. Venmo and PayPal both offer the ability to send and receive payments, buy and sell cryptocurrencies, and have similar fees.

It's not safe to use Venmo with strangers you haven't verified. Venmo has security features in place to authenticate users and keep transactions secure, but scammers can make fake Venmo accounts to trick other users into unsafe actions.

The safest way to receive money from a stranger online is to use secure and reputable payment methods that prioritize user protection. For instance, you can use a platform like PayPal to receive money from someone you haven't met before. You can also use cryptocurrency—it is a practical way.

With access to your Zelle, threat actors can drain your bank accounts. There's no guarantee that you'll get your money back, which is why you must take the necessary steps to secure your Zelle and other financial accounts.

Unlike many money transfer apps, Zelle does not charge a fee for instant transfers. Zelle transfers are generally secure, but the app does carry risks, including the risk of glitches at banks that can affect money transfers.

Debit and credit cards

Not only are they quick and easy to use, but they offer a relatively high level of security and protection of your private data. If you're using a credit card, you don't actually pay for the goods or services until your credit card bill is due.

For example, when you use PayPal to send a payment, the recipient doesn't receive sensitive financial details like your credit card or bank account number. You don't have to worry about paying someone online. Additionally, when you pay with PayPal on any website, you're covered by PayPal Purchase Protection.

But a cashier's check is generally regarded as the safer payment method because the funds are drawn against the bank's account, not an individual or business account. You should be familiar with the signs of a check fraud scam any time you're accepting one of these checks from someone you don't know.

Zelle^® is a fast, safe and easy way to send and receive money with friends, family and others you trust - no matter where they bank¹.