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Splitting the bill has never been easier. With tools like Cash App, PayPal, Zelle, and Venmo, you can avoid rummaging around in your literal wallet and send exact funds to anyone you need. As an added plus, security for most online financial services has only improved as it has become more integrated. But it does not come without its risks, and you may find that Venmo is no longer right for you. The last thing you should do is let your Venmo account collect dust, so we’ll show you how to delete Venmo for good.
Why delete Venmo?
Your reason for deleting Venmo could be one of many things. Either you created the account temporarily, or you’re switching to a different payment app, etc. But the reason why you should completely close your account if you plan on abandoning the app is the same: security. Leaving financial accounts unsupervised can lead to trouble, especially with a remaining balance. Although Venmo is relatively safe, not all hacks are the fault of Venmo’s security. If you use duplicate passwords or an untrustworthy password manager, for instance, hackers can still access your account using compromised credentials.
Venmo has a feature where you can use your card as a “backup” payment method. If this is activated, funds will be withdrawn straight from your bank when your Venmo balance is low. The money in your balance would be used first, and we doubt you would delete the app without withdrawing the remaining funds. But don’t leave your payment method still connected as a backup. A hacker could drain your bank account through Venmo without ever accessing it directly. Similarly, even if you don’t have a card attached, a hacker could use your account to dupe your friends into sending them money. It’s better to close your account completely to avoid any potential mishaps.
See also: What is a credential stuffing attack?
What happens to your Venmo account after it is deleted?
Any financial institution that facilitates transfers of funds is required to comply with enacted legislation. Certain information needs to be available in case of audits, investigations, etc. for at least five years according to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) of 1970. However, Venmo keeps this information for 10 years past the deletion of your account; twice the required minimum. Yes, they promise to do everything in their power in the event of a breach. But they also state that they cannot guarantee your personal information will not be discovered.
This “personal information” includes, but is not limited to your Social Security number (SSN), financial information, phone numbers/emails, and geolocation information such as your IP address. If you gave consent throughout your relationship with Venmo, they may also retain information from social media for advertising purposes. This can be viewed by law enforcement, third parties, and service providers. For the most part, this information is necessary to carry out the functions of the service. But advertising identifiers may remain for much longer than most applications. Your sensitive information will be retained and subject to potential breach for 10 years upon termination of your account.
Some competitors have stated that they will only retain your information for as long as necessary for compliance, or longer in special cases. To date, Venmo has not suffered an app-wide breach of security and is protected by PayPal safeguards. Venmo uses encryption, and even PIN/biometric measures to protect its users on a day-to-day basis. But if you have stuck with the same bank for many years and have no intention of switching, this bank information will stay with Venmo. We don’t blame you if their overzealous data retention policy is a deal breaker.
See also: Will Venmo refund money if you’re scammed?
How to delete Venmo
Venmo has two different account types: personal and business. You can delete either account using the same method, however, they have different guidelines. Once you have deleted your personal Venmo account, you can create a new one at any time as long as your old account is closed successfully. You can open a business account through a personal account, but once it is deleted, it cannot be reactivated even if you keep the personal account associated with it.
This is our opportunity to remind you that deleting an app from your phone does not delete your account from that service. Here is how to delete Venmo personal accounts from the app:
- Tap Me in the bottom right corner
- Tap the Settings cog in the upper right corner
- Select Account, and then Close Venmo Account
And how to delete Venmo personal accounts from a desktop:
- Navigate to the left-side menu (where it says “Hi, (your name)”)
- Scroll down to Settings and select it to open a drop-down menu
- Select Profile, and scroll to the bottom. You will see Close Venmo account
Once you select the option to close your account, you will be guided through step-by-step instructions ensuring you are positive about closing your account. Closing a business account uses the same function but in order to keep the personal account used to create it, you will need to speak to Venmo directly.
Can you remove transaction history without deleting Venmo?
Venmo operates much like social media, apart from the financials. The app lets you add friends to help make transferring money to them in the future easier. It also shares your transactions with your timeline so it can be viewed by your friends even if they aren’t part of the transfer. Due to the regulations mentioned above, Venmo must have retrievable information on your transactions for five years in order to remain compliant, and therefore it is impossible to delete your transaction history from your account or request for it to be deleted from Venmo.
But there is a way to make your transactions more private despite the social features of Venmo. To do this in the app:
- Tap Me in the bottom right corner
- Tap the Settings cog in the upper right corner
To do this from a desktop:
- Navigate to the left-side menu
- Scroll down to Settings and select it to open a drop-down menu
From there you can adjust privacy settings that will let you make your transaction history totally private, and set any new transactions to private. Meaning your financials will be between you, Venmo, and the person you are transferring funds to. From here you can also adjust the privacy of your friends list itself, and manage any blocked users who are restricted from viewing your account at all. You can also freely add and remove banks you want/no longer want to associate with your Venmo account.
What happens if the owner of a Venmo account is deceased?
It’s something no one wants to think about but could save you a lot of trouble at a difficult time with a little bit of preparation. If you know you will soon be taking on a loved one’s digital assets, it is imperative to collect any information such as accounts and credentials as soon as possible. The last thing you want to do is let a financial account like Venmo remain on the internet, as your loved one’s financial information may be connected to it. It is especially difficult to discover a stolen identity from a deceased person, and it may not come to your attention for years. Venmo does not have a hard-and-fast process when it comes to deceased users, and you will have to contact them directly. Luckily they have a number that will allow you to speak to a real representative 1-on-1 who can provide better guidance than any FAQ or chatbot.
Please, even if you are a beneficiary and you have all credentials on hand, do not withdraw funds from your deceased loved one’s Venmo account unless you are the executor of the estate. Although this tool is simply to transfer money and not an actual bank account, you can still face legal consequences for moving money out of a deceased person’s financial accounts without expressed permission. Speak with any relevant legal entities guiding you through this process before dealing with a Venmo account that has a remaining balance and a deceased account holder.
Online banking done right: all about security
Many have said that they believe online banking could be the future, but we’re not there yet. Brick-and-mortar banks have been the most trusted source for financial dealings for decades, but with other financial tools getting thrown into the mix, it is wise to consider the risks. That’s why we offer one of the best virtual private networks (VPN) on the market, using 256-bit advanced encryption standards to make sure you can bank safely while on-the-go. It works by sending your information through a secure tunnel to a remote server before reaching its destination to fend off any attackers that may intercept an unsecured connection. That way you can pay for brunch without paying the consequences of being hacked.
Looking for the best VPN? Try IPVanish. Sign up today to get started.
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