Yes, Venmo chiefly exists as a way for friends to covertly pay each other back for drugs, booze, and pizza, but after a recent drug bust at Columbia University, it seems we need to have the “it’s a really bad idea to complete actual drug transactions on an app that creates a public log of the exchange” talk.
According to Capital New York, Michael Getzler, a bright young Columbia drug dealer, was arrested after he wrote an “anonymous” (and fairly cocky) op-ed for the Columbia Spectator describing his prolific career as a dealer:
Weed, edibles, MDMA, coke — I have sold all of these over the past week, in staggering amounts. Several hundred students (and I would call that a conservative estimate) will be smoking my weed this Saturday. There will be more than 100 students rolling on MDMA, thanks to me alone.
Well, he flew too close to the sun, and not only do cops have Getzler in custody, but they also probably have a time-stamped client list thanks to all those Venmo-assisted drug deals. So, kids, remember, even with all the conveniences of these modern times, some things should remain cash only.