Consumer complaint received 2025-10-28 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: WI

Complaint narrative:
Note : I accidentally selected " no '' for whether or not I tried to resolve this with Venmo. Both my wife ( the recipient of the money ) and I have contacted customer service several times in addition to calling our bank. 

Company : Venmo ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) Product / Issue : Mobile wallet money transfer funds withdrawn but not delivered Amount : {$4000.00} Transaction Date : XX/XX/XXXX at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  Venmo Username : XXXX XXXXXXXX Recipient Venmo Username : @ XXXX Transaction ID : XXXX What happened : On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX, I transferred {$4000.00} from my Venmo account ( XXXX XXXXXXXX ) to my wifes Venmo account ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXhe transaction shows as Completed on my Venmo app, and the funds were successfully withdrawn from my bank account. 

However, on the recipients account ( my wife ), the exact same transaction shows as Pending. She has not received the money, and the balance has not increased by {$4000.00}. 

In other words : Venmo withdrew the funds from my bank, marked the transfer as Completed, but has not delivered the money to the intended recipient. Venmo also refuses to take accountability in errors that may have occurred during the XXXX outage on Monday XX/XX/XXXX. But has not delivered the money to the intended recipient. 

We have evidence of all three statuses, which can be found in the documents attached to this report : Screenshot of Completed on sender side Screenshot of Pending on recipient side Bank statement showing {$4000.00} debited by Venmo Attempts to resolve : We contacted Venmo Customer Support multiple times. Venmo agents told us that because the payment shows Completed on my end, they are unable to investigate further or take action. They refused to trace the funds. 

Venmo directed us to contact our banks. 
Both banks ( mine and my wifes ) reviewed the transaction and confirmed that : -The funds were transferred successfully to Venmo XXXX -The bank can not reverse or trace the transaction, -Venmo is responsible for releasing or refunding the funds. 
The bank directed us back to Venmo. 

We are now in a situation where Venmo has possession of the funds but will not credit them to the recipient nor return them to me, and both entities ( bank and Venmo ) are refusing responsibility. 

Why I am filing a CFPB complaint : This appears to be a payment processing error within Venmos system. Venmo has charged my bank account and acknowledges completion on one end, yet the funds have not been delivered on the recipient end. Venmo also will not address the potential impacts of the XXXX outage on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Venmo refuses : To perform a trace, To escalate to a higher support tier, To refund the withdrawn funds, To provide any explanation of where the money is being held. 

This results in {$4000.00} being stuck inside Venmos system with no transparency, accountability, or remedy. The refusal to investigate violates reasonable expectations for electronic fund transfers and basic consumer protections.

Desired resolution : I request one of the following outcomes : Venmo credits the {$4000.00} to the intended recipient ( XXXX XXXXXXXX ), or Venmo refunds the {$4000.00} back to my bank account. 

I am requesting CFPB assistance in obtaining a response from Venmos higher-level or executive team, and to ensure Venmo accounts for the location of my funds.

Supporting documentation available : Screenshot of my Venmo app showing transaction marked Completed Screenshot of recipients Venmo app showing XXXX XXXX  transaction showing {$4000.00} withdrawal by Venmo I will provide all supporting documentation upon request. 

Summary : Venmo took {$4000.00} from my bank account and marked the payment as completed, but never delivered the funds. Venmo refuses to investigate or resolve the issue. The funds are currently missing. I need regulatory assistance to compel Venmo to locate the funds and complete or refund the transaction.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation