Quick answer
If someone got into your Cash App account or used your Cash Card without your permission, federal law generally requires the app to investigate and refund unauthorized transfers you report on time, and your bank may also have to if your linked bank account or debit card was charged. If you sent the money yourself to a scammer, it's usually treated as authorized, but report it to Cash App and your bank right away.
Key takeaways
- Unauthorized transfers from your Cash App balance or Cash Card are covered by federal electronic transfer rules.
- If money came out of a linked bank account or debit card, report it to your bank too.
- Cash App support will never ask for your PIN or sign-in code. Anyone who does is a scammer.
- Payments you sent yourself are usually treated as authorized, even when you were tricked.
- Report in writing within 60 days of the statement or activity record showing the transfer.
Common Cash App scams
- Fake "Cash App support" numbers, texts, or social media accounts that ask for your sign-in code or PIN.
- "Cash flipping" or giveaway offers that ask you to send money first.
- Account takeovers after a scammer gets your code, followed by quick transfers out.
- Sellers who take payment for items or tickets that never arrive.
Hacked or tricked? Why it matters
Federal law (the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and its rule, Regulation E) protects you from unauthorized transfers: money moved out of your account by someone else, without your permission. If someone got into your account and sent the money, that's unauthorized, and your bank or the app generally has to investigate and refund you.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has said that if a scammer tricks you into handing over your login or a one-time code and then sends the money themselves, that also counts as unauthorized.
If you sent the payment yourself, even because a scammer lied to you, it's usually treated as authorized, and the bank doesn't have to refund it under that law. Report it anyway: some banks and apps reimburse certain scams voluntarily, and the facts often turn out to be less clear-cut than they first seem.
Deadlines that protect your money
- Report as soon as you notice. If a card, phone, or login was lost or stolen, telling your bank or the app within 2 business days limits what you can lose.
- Report within 60 days after the statement that first shows the transfer, or you can lose protection for later unauthorized transfers.
- After you report, the bank or app generally has 10 business days to investigate, or up to 45 days if it gives you a provisional credit while it finishes.
- If your claim is denied, it must explain why in writing, and you can ask for copies of the documents it relied on.
What to do next
- Report the transfer inside Cash App and save the confirmation, then report it to your bank if a linked account or card was charged.
- Lock your Cash Card in the app and change your PIN and sign-in method.
- Write down when and how the money left, and whether anyone got your code or PIN.
- Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If your claim is denied, ask for the reason in writing and request a free case review.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. § 1005.2(m) (definition of an unauthorized electronic fund transfer)
- Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. § 1005.6 (limits on your liability and reporting deadlines)
- Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. § 1005.11 (how banks and apps must investigate errors)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Electronic Fund Transfers FAQs (including fraudulently obtained account access)
- Electronic Fund Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1693m (damages and attorney's fees)
- Federal Trade Commission: report fraud
This website provides general information, not legal advice. Laws change and every situation is different. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state about your specific facts.
More on this topic: Your rights after an unauthorized transfer