Consumer complaint received 2025-05-17 00:00:00
Product: Prepaid card — General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer — Card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase or transfer
Company: Block, Inc.
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
I received a phone call on XX/XX/year>, from a number that matched XXXX  official customer service line ( XXXX ). I didnt answer the first two calls, but when the number rang a third time, I picked up. Most scammers call once from random numbers and move onthis felt different. It felt urgent. 

The caller identified himself as a fraud analyst with XXXX and informed me of a suspicious Cash App transaction tied to XXXX, Florida. He said the charge had been initiated just 15 minutes prior and asked if I had authorized it. I told him no. He explained that the transaction was still in the preauthorization phase and that, to protect my funds and avoid an overdraft or dispute, he needed to immediately close my card and move the funds to a temporary debit card. He warned that if we didnt act quickly, I might lose all my money. 

The caller knew my full name and quoted a balance that was nearly exact, which made him sound legitimate. He only asked me to verify two recent transactionshe never asked for my account number, SSN, PIN, or login. He spoke calmly and even provided fraud-prevention tips, such as avoiding gas pumps due to skimmers and only using https sites for online shopping. It sounded professional and trustworthy.

At his direction, I transferred my checking balance into my Cash App account, linked a debit card number he provided, and sent {$1700.00} to that card. He told me we would transfer the funds back once the account was secured. But the call disconnected. I immediately redialed the same number and reached a real XXXX  representativewho confirmed no one from XXXX had contacted me. They informed me the call was a spoofing scam and advised me to report it to Cash App. 

I reported the scam to Cash App immediately after discovering I had been manipulated into linking a fraudulent debit card. The card was not mineit was provided to me by the scammer during a phone call where they posed as a XXXX fraud analyst. I followed their instructions, thinking I was protecting my account from fraud. 

Cash App has completely misunderstood the nature of the fraud. Instead of recognizing that I was manipulated into transferring funds to an account controlled by a scammer, theyve assumed I was simply trying to transfer funds to my own bank account, but that the card was closed or inactive. Their support team treated the transaction as a failed deposit to my personal cardnot a scamand issued a refund of the instant transfer fee to the fraudulent debit card itself, believing it still belonged to me. 

They then provided me with instructions to contact my bank ( XXXX ), assuming that the card ending in XXXX was mine, and that I should work with that bank to locate the funds. This shows they believe the card I sent money to was mine, and that the funds were simply not received due to a closed or inactive account. 

This is not what happened, and its not what I reported to them. I was very clear that I was the victim of a social engineering scam, and that the funds were directed to an external card provided to me by a fraudster. Instead of investigating the recipient account, freezing it, or acknowledging the scam, Cash App shifted responsibility to me and treated the transfer as a routine transaction that failed on the recipients banking side. 

This response : Ignores everything I told them Refunds fees to a scammers card Directs me to locate funds in a bank account I do not own And fails to acknowledge the scam happened through their platform Despite multiple attempts to clarify that the debit card was not mine, Cash App has continued to assume Im disputing a personal transfer failure, not a scam. This has delayed meaningful investigation and placed recovery responsibility on me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation