Posted January 27, 2025 11:49pm EST

ATLANTA – A metro Atlanta driver’s generosity was allegedly taken advantage of by a group of “water boys.” Atlanta police say they stole his phone and crashed his car.

Woman warns public after losing $400 in Cash App scam after run-in with boy selling water

The driver says that since then, the thieves have made multiple attempts to steal money from accounts linked to his phone, and he’s urging other drivers to take a lesson from his situation.

“I just say don’t roll down your window. Just keep it going,” the driver said. “It’s not even worth it.”

Atlanta water boys accused of stealing phone, money, SUV

What we know:

Atlanta police say it happened around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening. When the driver, who asked to remain anonymous, rolled down his window to make a donation via Cash App, he says one of the suspects grabbed his phone.

“When I opened up my Cash App, they saw my balance had like $12,000 in there,” he said. “Before he even finished telling me the full Cash App name, he grabbed it.”

He tells FOX 5 when he hopped out of the car to get his phone, another teen hopped in and took off in his white Range Rover.

“I ended up paying a guy right behind me in a BMW to kind of chase them down,” the driver stated.

Atlanta police say the joyride ended about four-and-a-half miles away in southwest Atlanta.

Neighbors recalled seeing the group of young men ditch the car after crashing it into a mailbox and pole.

“I was just shocked man, I was like, ‘dang,” he said. “I didn’t expect it from pretty much like kids.”

What is Cash App?

Dig deeper:

Cash App is a mobile payment service, or digital wallet, that allows users to send and receive money quickly and easily using their smartphone.

Users can send money to, or receive money from, friends, family, or anyone with a Cash App account using their phone number, email address, or unique “$Cashtag” username.

Cash App allows users to link their bank account or debit card to transfer funds to and from their Cash App balance. The app can also be used to receive direct deposits, like biweekly paychecks.

Alleged ‘water boys’ theft leads to fraud

Why you should care:

The Buckhead resident, who did not want to be identified, says rolling down his window at the sight of water boys stationed at the 10th St highway exit ramp felt right at the time, but it was a decision that cost him greatly. 

“They tried to go into my bank account, my Navy Federal, my Chase, my Cash App,” he said.

While he says his banks acted quickly in response to him reporting the theft, Cash App did not—and his business account there was compromised. 

“They changed all of my information. They’ve tried to take money out of my account like three or four times, from four grand to six or seven grand,” the driver said.

He tells FOX 5 in the last few days, they’ve successfully withdrawn $1,500. He’s now offering a $1,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Atlanta police search for teen suspects 

What we don’t know:

The names and descriptions of the teens have not been released.

What you can do:

A Cash App spokesperson could not confirm details about this incident but did share tips about how you can avoid your account being compromised:

• Enable the Security Lock setting so that every Cash App payment requires your passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID. 
• Create a passcode for your mobile device. To do so, check your device’s general settings. You may need to check your device manual for more information.
• Every time you sign in to your Cash App account, you’re sent a one-time-use login code. If you received an unsolicited sign-in code via email, we recommend securing the email account associated with your Cash App account by updating your password and enabling two-factor authentication.