ATLANTA — An Atlanta wife and mother says a kind gesture turned into a costly lesson after she was scammed out of $800 by two so-called “water boys” on a local street corner.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said it was her first time trying to support the young vendors, who often sell bottled water at intersections across the city. She didn’t have any cash, so one of the boys offered a QR code to pay via Cash App.
“They just took off running and I thought to myself, ‘Well, my goodness, I haven’t even had the chance to send them the $5,’” she said. “Then I looked at my phone and got a notification, $800 withdrawn.”
She says none of the typical Cash App security prompts appeared, and the money was instantly gone. The boys had already disappeared.
“I mean, they were absolutely delirious,” she recalled. “And I was like wow, these are some happy kids just because they gave me a bottle of water. It’s wonderful they have so much joy.”
Fortunately, the woman says her bank refunded the money. She also filed a police report and kept the water bottle for evidence.
“My fingerprints are on there, but theirs are too. I’m saving exhibit A,” she joked.
Though she acknowledged that not all water boys are out to scam people, she says this first experience will also be her last.
“It’s not worth the risk,” she said. “I was just trying to help out some kids, that’s all.”
WSB’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story