I know how it is to live while constantly strapped for cash. Living paycheck to paycheck, using payday loans and looking for ways to make more money. In today’s economy, even the top earners seem to be struggling.
Looking at social media, a couple of easy money-making schemes keep popping up – the so-called Cash App Flip and Blessing Loom. There are many other names for these schemes as well. Whatever they’re called, they are still scams, frauds, and pyramid schemes.
It’s tempting to get incredible returns for a bit of money. However, you should be very careful.
If someone tells you they will turn your $100 into $800 (or something similar), know that it’s a well-known scam and that you’re at risk of losing money if you engage with the person.
Let’s find out how these schemes exactly work, why they’re so popular, and how to recognize a scam.
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Someone Promising to Turn $100 to $800 on Cash App. Is it a Scam?
There’s no free lunch. That’s a well-known saying. But in today’s world of high-paced crypto and stock investing, and Instagram influencers showing off their Lambos and other expensive stuff, we’d like to believe that we can also make a quick buck.
More often than not, when we see a rich and successful person, we only see the tip of the iceberg. We rarely see the blood, sweat, and tears that took to get to that level.
Granted, many people did get rich by simply getting born with a silver spoon, but I’d like to believe that’s a minority of the rich people.
So, when we see a chance to get easy returns, in this example whopping 800%, we can get blindsided.
However, turning $100 into $800 via Cash App (and other apps like Venmo, Chime, Zelle, etc.) isn’t realistic and you will end up losing money in this well-known pyramid scheme. It is indeed a popular scam that has cost people millions of dollars.
READ ALSO: How to Avoid Sugar Daddy Scams on Cash App (Simple Rules)
Many Versions of The Same Scam
There are many variants of this scam. Apart from Blessing Loom, the other names include:
- The Circle Game
- Infinity Loom
- Giving Circle
- Mandala Game
- Blessing Circle
- Money Board
The Blessing Loom Scam
These scams and the names for them aren’t anything new. Before making their way to Cash App, they were done via chain letters or in person.
What scammers often do is bring age-old scams and update them to fit the new technology and the rise of social media.
The scary thing about this scam is that you’re probably not going to be the only person losing money, but because the scam is designed to attract as many people as possible, your friends and family are also at risk.
The scam works as follows. After you see a post or story on social media, or you even get an invite via a DM, you have to send $100 via Cash App to get the $800 back. The person receiving money is in the middle of the circle or loom.
Your $100 gets you a spot on the board, however, you’re only on the outer ring for now. Once you get more people to join the game, you move closer to the center of the ring and the big payout.
However, if you can’t recruit enough people, the whole thing falls apart and everyone loses the money.
Additionally, once you start recruiting people you know, you are de fact the scammer now. This can have a big impact on your relationships with people you know. If they lose their money, who do you think they will blame? The person at the center or you, who invited them?
The Cash Flip Scam
A similar scam that also offers crazy returns is the so-called Cash App flip scam. In this scam, a scammer is a person that “hacked” Cash App or knows someone in the company.
They are offering to give you $800 if you send them $100. After you send them the money, they might disappear and block you on social media and Cash App. Or they will simply abandon or delete the account.
They might even ask you to send more money to “release” the $800 because $100 wasn’t enough after all.
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How to Recognize a Scam?
There are red flags when it comes to scams. If you have your eyes open, you can easily recognize them. That will help you stay safe, not only when using Cash App, but also in your day-to-day life.
With scams, there’s always a guarantee involved that you WILL make a lot of money. You should be aware by now that NO ONE is out there giving money left and right. Especially not people that supposedly hacked Cash App, or work for the company.
They would look out for themselves and make their wallets fatter, not yours.
In many instances, a celebrity, a famous billionaire, or an athlete may be involuntarily involved with a glaring review of the scheme. These are easily faked.
If your friend or a person you know also suddenly starts endorsing a money-making scheme, it could be that their account was hacked or that they were tricked and have fallen for a scam themselves.
In today’s world, you can’t even trust your eyes. You have to go by your gut feeling and common sense. Always asking why.
To summarize, free money doesn’t exist and these promises are always fake as well as big claims without details or explanations.
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How Not to Get Scammed
Scammers are like hyenas. They are scouring the vast open space that is the internet to find vulnerable people in need of money. Often it’s the minorities that get targeted the most because they have the least access to legitimate investment opportunities.
Seeing someone, perhaps even a friend or a family member, promising you a lot of money if you just give them a small amount upfront could reassure you and lower your guard.
Frankly, it’s incredibly easy to recognize and avoid scams. Whenever you’re interacting with a stranger or any person online and money is involved, keep in mind the following:
- Use your common sense
- Don’t act rashly, sleep on it
- Don’t use Cash App and Venmo to send money to strangers
- Cash App and similar institutions won’t refund you if you get scammed
- Never send payments to businesses you’ve never heard off
- Google the term + scam (i.e. “$100 to $800 scam”)
- Don’t reply to strangers’ DMs
- There’s no easy money
- Never pay upfront for something if it isn’t a reputable business or person
- Don’t click on links in emails or text messages that you aren’t 100% sure off
- Ask for advice from people you trust
- If it’s too good to be true, it probably is
READ ALSO: The 5 Cash App Bitcoin Scams (Be Aware)
There are many scams doing the rounds online. And, although it’s good to be familiar with them, if you just follow the above advice, you will easily recognize them without even knowing them.
Always try to think, why would this person offer me this money? What’s their reason behind it? Can I trust them? Were they also maybe scammed? Are they a part of a scam? Etc.
Whenever money is involved, try not to make a rash decision. Sleep on it and see how you feel about it in the morning. Is there a better use for the money? Maybe starting an emergency fund?
A quick Google search will reveal whether something is a scam or not in a couple of seconds.
The FTC website is also full of devastating stories and statements from everyday people like you and me that have been victims of a scam. They share their experiences so others can learn from them and not lose their hard-earned cash.
I often visit their website to see what scammers are up to now and to read comments from real people. It’s incredible to see how many folks have lost their money. The money that they desperately need.
READ NEXT: Can Someone Hack Your Cash App With Your Name? (Explained)
Understanding Cash App
Cash App and similar payment apps like Zelle, Chime, and Venmo, have instant transfers between users.
The scammers love to use them because of the speed and the fact that these aren’t banks. The companies behind them won’t return the money to you if you get scammed!
Conclusion
Cash App scams are targeting vulnerable communities that need the money the most. The people who have the least, therefore, have even less money.
Watch out for any game, circle, letter, blessing, donation, gift, or similar that is promising a lot of money in return.
Educate yourself about the many scams and schemes that are in circulation and use your common sense to not lose money to the scammers.
