Why Venmo Is The Absolute Best App For Creep-Stalking Your Ex
If I told you there was an app that provided high-key effective info on who your S.O. is with, what they are doing, and when they are doing it, would you believe it’s probably already installed on your phone?
Check your screen for the blue “V” icon-Y’know, that “financial” money-sharing app you downloaded however long ago. Maybe you use it to pay back your gals for a drink, to split happy hour apps with coworkers, or maybe even to keep tabs on your ex. Say, what?
It’s Venmo, and it’s quickly turned into the hyper-creeping tool for singles and relationship pleebs everywhere.
“The app tells you everything you need to know about a person,” says psychotherapist, Jaime Gleicher, LMSW. I mean, think about it: It essentially confesses all those super shady things people like to lie about, like, getting drinks with an ex, going on dates despite their #monogamy status, or deciding to go out when you were “sick.”
If that doesn’t seem dangerous to you, just think about the times when Snapchat listed your Top Three or when you could see a user’s activity on Tinder. PTL those days are long gone, but Venmo has come to resurrect those same anxieties.
“The issue is that people aren’t being conscious of what they’re putting on Venmo,” says Gleicher. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media apps where people are filtering their feed and uploading curated content to fit their aesthetic, a Venmo profile doesn’t have the amazing filters hiding your activity (unless you’re smart enough to make that shit private!).
In the eyes of a creeper patrolling their crush’s Venmo account: While seeing a simple "🍆" payment at 3:00 AM on a Saturday night might seem innocent, they know there’s probably more to that story than just paying a friend back for an IRL eggplant... and you can bet they’re going to creep on who you’re sending it to, too.
From my own personal experience, I’ve definitely had my fair share of snooping, too. Upon writing this article in fact, I found out that the guy I’m digging still has a Venmo profile pic with his ex. Red flag? Probs. But do I thrive on red flags? Mhm.
Hell, even check out my ex’s recent attempt to rekindle our relationship via my very public Venmo profile.
And, TBH, if he were expecting a response, he should’ve paid me a lot more than $1.00.
So this really is a thing, folks. Here are some other examples of women using Venmo to creep on their partners or exes to, unfortunately, find out some really scummy shit:
“This guy I was hooking up with was super private, he didn’t tell me anything personal. One day, we got in a fight and we didn’t talk for like a week, so I stalked his Venmo to see who he had been hanging out with. It was an insane attempt to keep tabs on him, when he was really just sending beer money to friends.” - Katherine H., 21
“When my ex and I broke up, I was creeping on him on every social media platform after we ended things. I saw that the girl he told me not to worry about while we were dating Venmo’d him “cheese fries,” so that’s how I found out they were hanging out. Not long after that, they started dating.” - Lauren A., 24
“I wanted to see if my ex was Venmo-ing any girls and if so, what for. When he did, I would look up the girl to see if she could potentially be a new girlfriend, but it would just lead me to private accounts.” - Valerie F., 23
“I’d been talking to this guy long-distance on and off for months, and was wanting to DTR. I got on Venmo to pay my friend, and noticed in the feed he had paid his ex-girlfriend for rent. He told me they had broken up over a year ago, but clearly not since he was paying to still live with her.” - Brooke A., 27
“I use Venmo to creep on people all the time, especially my matches from dating apps. Most people have pretty locked down social medias, but aren’t smart enough to turn their Venmo’s on private. I know more about my date before I even go out with them.” - Michelle T., 23
Yikes.
So, before you start using Venmo as your method of creeping, ask yourself, “How will this hurt me?” advises Gleicher.
If you really do have a sixth sense and can smell a cheater a mile away, go for it. But if you feel the need to parole bae’s Venmo feed on the daily just for the sake of it, it might be time check how healthy that relationship is, and other ways in which you can build trust.
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