A Pennsylvania woman was jailed for three nights after a scammer opened a CashApp account in her name. Here is why it matters even if you have never used the app.
A Pennsylvania woman spent three nights in jail in April because a scammer used her Social Security number to open a CashApp account. Six months later, Amanda Smith says she is still trying to clear her name.
Smith answered her door one afternoon and found the local Sheriff's department. Officers had an Arkansas warrant for computer fraud. She says she has never been to Arkansas and has never used CashApp. They took her away in handcuffs.
The warrant traces back to a scammer who tricked someone on Facebook Marketplace into sending $1,000 to a CashApp account in her name. The scammer opened it with her Social Security number and date of birth. Smith says she now has to prove her innocence in an ongoing criminal case, while CashApp will not share details about the account because she cannot prove she owns it.
Anyone whose Social Security number and date of birth could be misused, including people who have never touched a payment app. The report describes one case, so it does not show how often this happens. It also does not say how the account was opened or how Smith's case will end.
The steps in the alert box above are the place to start. A credit freeze is free. The report does not say whether a freeze would have stopped this account. Keeping records is useful if you are ever wrongly accused.
Your Social Security number and date of birth can be used to open accounts you never see, so lock down your credit and keep records.
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