Cash App Debuts Next Installment of Scams Education Campaign: “If it’s weird for real, it’s weird for real”

November 15, 2024

Today Cash App announced the second iteration of its award-winning brand campaign, “If it’s weird for real, it’s weird for real.” The campaign includes four thirty-second spots that illustrate common examples of peer-to-peer money scams and fraudulent activity, highlighting the product features Cash App has in place to keep customers safe. The tools highlighted include: scam warnings, Cash App Card lock, Cash App Card transaction authentication, and one-time use login codes. 

The first spot depicts a couple paying for a hypothetical puppy a stranger has offered them in a laundromat. As they attempt to pay, Cash App halts the payment with an in-app scam warning; another spot features a stranger who tries to buy a dirt bike with a stolen Cash App Card only to be blocked by Cash App Card’s transaction authentication alert that decline high-risk transactions; another video depicts a similar situation play out where a stranger tries to rack up hibachi dinners but the Cash App Card has been locked by its owner to prevent the transaction; and, the final spot depicts a stranger popping up in a record store seeking the login code Cash App sent via SMS to hack into the victim’s account. The stranger is unsuccessful because of Cash App's additional account verification steps.

“While last year’s campaign cast a light on the strange and deceptive nature of situations scammers create to target victims, Weird For Real 2.0 tells the next part of the story. Beyond recognizing scams, the campaign demonstrates to customers how Cash App actively ensures the safety of their money and highlights security features they can use to make their accounts even more secure," said Catherine Ferdon, CMO at Cash App. “While it’s important to be cautious when sending money, the reality is bad actors are constantly coming up with new tactics, and many people end up falling victim in ways that are beyond their control. It’s our top priority to continue to adapt our features to protect and educate our customers.”

Cash App once again partnered with award-winning creative agency Mischief to bring these scenarios to life, with the idea to underline the tactics scammers employ, and the safe, easy-to-use tools at customers’ disposal to keep their accounts secure. 

"Look, many of us have fallen for these types of scams because they're getting more sophisticated. But there's one thing they all have in common: the fact that if they happened in person, people wouldn't fall for them,” said Bianca Guimaraes, partner and ECD at Mischief. “Showcasing these scams in real-life situations underscores how ludicrous they really are. If it's weird for real, it's weird for real."

The new ad spots will roll out across Cash App’s social channels, as well as linear and streaming. 

For more information on how to avoid scams on Cash App and keep your account safe, visit https://cash.app/how-to-identify-and-prevent-scams and https://cash.app/security. 

About Cash App
Cash App is the money app. It’s the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Sending and receiving money is fast, and most payments can be deposited directly to an external bank account in just a few seconds. With Cash App, customers can also buy and sell Bitcoin instantly, get a paycheck deposited right to the app, create a unique $cashtag to get paid fast, and use the Cash App Card to spend the money everywhere Visa Debit is accepted. Download Cash App for free at cash.app/download. 

Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s external bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association. All other trademarks and service marks belong to their respective owners. 

About Mischief
We create work that makes a stir because the riskiest thing a brand can do is be ignorable.