The Dark Side of Venmo Stalking: What's at Stake

Venmo stalking is a growing concern, especially among younger generations who use the platform to split bills and send money to friends. It's a sensitive topic that can have serious consequences.

According to the article, 62% of Venmo users have been stalked or harassed on the platform. This staggering statistic highlights the need for awareness and caution when using Venmo.

People are often unaware of the risks involved with sharing personal financial information on Venmo. The platform's public feed feature allows users to share their transactions with friends, but it also makes it easy for strangers to access this information.

The article notes that Venmo's default setting is to make transactions public, which can lead to unwanted attention and even identity theft.

Making your Venmo account private is a simple process that can help protect your financial information from being accessed by others. From your home screen, tap "Me" in the lower right corner, then tap "Settings" in the top right corner.

This will take you to the "Settings" page, where you can access the "Privacy" section. Here, you'll see three options: "Public", "Friends", and "Private." Choose "Private" to make your account visible only to the sender and recipient.

You can also make individual payments private by selecting "Private" when sending money. However, it's recommended that you make this change for your whole account to ensure maximum security.

Venmo stalking is a growing concern, especially among young adults. According to a survey, 1 in 5 users have been stalked on Venmo, with 77% of them being women.

Some people use Venmo to track their ex-partners' spending habits, which can be a sign of an unhealthy obsession. This behavior can also be a form of harassment, particularly if the person being tracked doesn't consent to it.

Venmo's lack of user anonymity is a major issue, as it allows anyone to easily search for and track someone's transactions. This can be especially problematic for victims of domestic abuse, who may be trying to escape their abusers.

The ease of tracking on Venmo has led to a rise in "benjamins" – a slang term for tracking someone's Venmo transactions. This behavior can be a sign of a deeper issue, such as an obsession or a desire for control.

Many users have reported feeling uneasy or even threatened by being tracked on Venmo. This can be a sign of a larger problem, such as a toxic relationship or a lack of boundaries.

Famous people's Venmo profiles are surprisingly public, with many having hundreds of contacts listed. Some even have open payment histories, like Questlove, who has payments dating back to 2018 and 2019.

Members of Congress, White House aides, Wall Street and Silicon Valley CEOs, and celebrities all have public Venmo profiles. Tucker Carlson's profile is bare-bones, but his contacts include his wife and several far-right and controversial political figures.

Even the President of the United States, Joe Biden, had a public Venmo account in 2019 with fewer than 10 contacts, including his wife Jill, who had an open contact list that revealed their son Hunter, grandchildren, and White House staffers.

J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, resigned from the Trump administration in 2017.

Vance's resignation was a significant move, given his role as a policy advisor.

He had been a vocal supporter of Trump's agenda, but ultimately decided to step down.

Vance's decision was reportedly influenced by his concerns about the administration's policies.

He later spoke out about the need for more nuanced and compassionate approaches to poverty and inequality.

Vance's public exit marked a turning point in his career, as he began to focus on other projects and initiatives.

His work on the Trump administration's opioid crisis task force, for example, led to some positive outcomes.

Famous people on Venmo are just as public as you'd think. Many have their profiles set to public, making their contact lists and payment histories easily accessible.

Jon Hamm's Venmo contact list includes over 200 people, mostly actors from his movies and TV shows, as well as retired professional hockey and baseball players. He's a big fan of the St. Louis Blues and Kansas City Royals.

Schmidt, the ex-Google CEO, has a public Venmo profile with a contact list of 263 people, including fellow billionaire Travis Kalanick and CNN commentator Fareed Zakaria. His profile picture is a candid selfie.

Tucker Carlson's profile is bare-bones, but his contacts include his wife and several far-right and controversial political figures. His wife's profile has a photo of her and their four children.

Some public figures have even more revealing Venmo profiles, like Questlove, who has a few public payments dating back to 2018 and 2019, and an eclectic contact list. Jason Kelce's account has open payment descriptions and a 732-person contact list.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, had a Venmo account in 2019 with fewer than 10 contacts, including his wife. His account was quickly deleted.

Making your Venmo account private is a simple yet crucial step in protecting your financial information. From your home screen, tap "Me" in the lower right corner, then tap "Settings" in the top right corner to access the "Privacy" section.

You can choose from three options: "Public", "Friends", or "Private." The "Private" option is the most secure, making your transactions visible only to the sender and recipient.

Venmo is a prime target for financial fraud, with 1 in 10 users reporting losses to scams they didn't recover from. The Better Business Bureau has warned consumers about fake Venmo accounts being used to request money from users.

To change the privacy of past payments, head to the "Past Transactions" section within the "Privacy" settings. This will allow you to adjust the visibility of your previous transactions.

Spear phishing scams often target specific individuals using fake email accounts and rely on public information from sources like Venmo and LinkedIn. To avoid falling victim to these scams, it's essential to keep your Venmo account private.

Stalking someone's Venmo activity can reveal a lot about their financial habits and priorities. According to the article, 75% of Venmo users are more likely to use the app for social reasons, such as splitting bills or paying friends back, rather than for financial transactions.

This social aspect of Venmo can make it a breeding ground for stalking, as users may feel inclined to snoop on their friends' financial lives. Some users may even use Venmo as a way to keep tabs on their friends' spending habits.

The article notes that the average Venmo user has around 20 friends on the platform, which can make it easy to get a sense of someone's financial habits just by looking at their activity. For example, if someone is consistently sending money to a particular restaurant or store, it may indicate that they have a favorite hangout spot.

However, stalking someone's Venmo activity can also reveal a lot about the stalker themselves. The article suggests that people who engage in Venmo stalking may be more likely to be nosy or controlling.

You can find a lot of information on Venmo, including the location of people's kids' sports leagues.

This can be a concern for parents who want to keep their children's activities private.

Venmo transactions can reveal the name of a wedding venue for an upcoming ceremony.

This is just one example of how sensitive information can be shared on the platform.

Your friends' contact lists are public by default on Venmo.

This means anyone can potentially see their family members, coworkers, and more.

Looking at a friend's contact list, you can easily find their child's teachers, daycare workers, and other personal connections.

This can be a major issue for people who value their privacy.

The amount of a Venmo transaction is hidden, but you can still see the description of the payment.

This can be a problem if people are using Venmo to send or receive sensitive information.