Raleigh woman loses $4,000 in Cash App customer service scam

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It started as a simple Google search for a customer service number but ended with a Raleigh woman losing thousands of dollars.

Candace Kennedy Locklear uses Cash App for many transactions, and when she had problems with a recent one, she searched online for Cash App customer service for help. She said she clicked on the first number that she saw and called that number.

"They said this was the Cash App representative, and I was telling them what happened in this situation and they were like, OK, so it sounds like your money got stuck in a server," Locklear said.

She followed the instructions she was given.

"He was telling me OK, type in this number and send it here," she recalled.

All of a sudden, $1,000 was gone from her Cash App account.

"I'm like, whoa, my money is gone now, and he's like, no, no, no, it's OK, it's OK. This is the process," Locklear said.

She said she trusted what she thought was Cash App customer service and continued to follow the instructions, which resulted in more than $4,000 being drained from her account.

"The guy was like, no, no, no, no, the money's gonna go back, it's gonna go back," Locklear says she was told.

She stopped responding to the caller and went to Cash App's website and learned the number she thought was Cash App's customer service was not legitimate.

She said to Troubleshooter Diane Wilson, "I want people to be aware things like this, that it does exist."

Cash App does have warnings on its website about scams stating that Cash App representatives will never ask you for your password, PIN, Social Security number, full card number, or sign-in code.

"When using Cash App to send money, we strongly recommend that users only send payments to people who they trust," a spokesperson said. "Verify and double-check all recipient information before sending any payment to confirm they are sending money to the correct person. Check the other person's profile to help determine if it is the correct person.

"If a user is sending a payment to someone for the first time and the recipient is not in the sender's contact book, Cash App prompts users to check the customer profile first," the rep added.

If you believe there are unauthorized transactions on your Cash App account, you can contact Cash App support and dispute those transactions. If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, contact Cash App Support through the app, website, or via phone at (800) 969-1940).

As for Locklear, she did file a fraud claim, but Cash App determined she authorized the transactions, which she said she did because she thought she was dealing with Cash App Support, not a scammer. She said she's learned her lesson when it comes to searching for a number online.

"A lot of people Google a lot of things every day. When you Google customer service numbers you think it's the actual place, they say what they are, but you just never know," she said.

While Google is a great tool to use, you need to be careful as companies -- and scammers -- can pay to be more visible on Google searches. To protect your money, don't just click on the first thing you see, instead go directly to the company's website for the best results.

Also anytime you are asked to pay money or transfer money from your account to solve your problem, it's a big red flag that you're dealing with scammers.