Overpayment scam

The overpayment scam exploits the time gap between an apparent payment (a screenshot, an email, a check that "cleared," a credited balance) and the moment that payment can actually be reversed. The "buyer" arranges to send too much, then asks for the excess back. The original payment is a fake, a fraud chargeback waiting to happen, or a stolen card. You refund the excess with real money. When the original reverses, you're out everything you sent plus the item.

This pattern is universal — it appears in marketplace listings, freelance jobs, equipment rentals, anything with an exchange of money.

"I'm going to send you the deposit plus the shipping fee. My assistant will give you the shipper's contact and you can pay them once it arrives."

Or:

"Sorry — my accountant accidentally processed $2,800 instead of the agreed $280. Just send back the extra via Zelle and we'll call it square."

Or — the fake-check version:

"I paid you $5,000 for the laptop but my shipper needs the extra $2,500 for international handling. Once the check clears, please wire it to them."

• A "mistake" overpayment with a same-day refund request.
• Buyer wants the refund through a different payment method than the original.
• The original "payment" came as a check, a screenshot, or an email — not a direct transfer.
• Urgency around the refund ("my contractor is waiting today").
• Sob-story justification for the rush.
• Buyer is conveniently out of the country or unreachable by phone.

1. Never refund overpayments until the original has actually settled — not just "shows as available" but actually settled past chargeback window. For checks that's 14+ days; for Zelle / Cash App / Venmo it's basically never reversible.
2. Refund via the same payment method the original came through. If it reverses, your refund reverses with it.
3. Insist that the buyer cancel the overpayment with their own provider rather than asking you to send money.
4. Apply the rule: legitimate buyers do not accidentally overpay by hundreds of dollars and then trust a stranger to refund the difference.

• Contact your bank and the payment platform immediately. File fraud claims. Capture transaction IDs.
• If the original payment was a check that hasn't bounced yet, freeze your account so the bank's reversal doesn't trigger overdrafts.
• Report to the FTC, IC3, and the marketplace where the listing was posted.
• Block the buyer across all channels.

• Do not refund excess through a different payment method.
• Do not trust "this check has cleared" without explicit bank confirmation 14+ days later.
• Do not wire money on behalf of a "buyer" to a shipper, customs agent, or anyone else.
• Do not continue communicating once you suspect a scam — block and move on.

• FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov — the broadest US fraud intake; reports flow to thousands of law-enforcement agencies.
• FBI IC3: ic3.gov — the right destination when the scam is internet-enabled (phishing, BEC, romance, crypto).
• CFPB: consumerfinance.gov/complaint — for complaints about banks, money transmitters, payment apps, credit cards, debt collection.
• IdentityTheft.gov — if any identity information (SSN, driver's license, account credentials) was shared.
• Your bank or payment platform. Call the number on the back of your card or use the app's in-product help. Time matters — wires can sometimes be recalled within hours; ACH and Zelle are harder but worth trying.