Spot Overpayment Scams

By Juan Ibarra · Google IT Support Certified (Verified on Credly) · October 29, 2026

A buyer overpaid by check for your marketplace listing and asks you to refund the difference — quick. It feels like their mistake and your easy sale. It is a scam: the check bounces, and the 'refund' you sent is real money gone. Here is the anatomy.

a person holding a real phone showing a marketplace chat with legible messages about an overpayment, the person's face suspicious, home interior. No black screen, no blank white sc.

TL;DR / Quick Fix

Quick fix: any buyer who overpays and asks for a refund of the difference is running a scam — the check or payment will reverse. Never refund an overpayment; cancel the deal instead. Real buyers pay the exact amount, no more.

Follow these steps

Spot the pattern. Overpayment plus urgency plus a refund request via wire, gift cards, or cash app. Legitimate buyers do not overpay — see the check version.
Understand the mechanics. The payment — check, stolen card, fake transfer — reverses days later. Your 'refund' does not reverse. The gap is the scam.
Never refund the difference. No exceptions. A real overpayment gets resolved by canceling and redoing the transaction, never by you sending money.
Cancel the whole deal. Do not try to salvage the sale. Scammers iterate — any continued contact is another angle. Walk away completely.
Keep all messages. Screenshots of the conversation help if you report. Do not delete the thread in frustration.
Report the account. Report to the marketplace and, for checks, see fake check scams. Reports protect the next seller.

A person calmly performing the guide's first step: Spot the pattern. — Step 1 in action: Spot the pattern. Overpayment plus urgency plus a refund request via wire, gift cards, or cash app. Legitimate buyers do not overpay — see t

What NOT to do

Do not refund 'just the difference.' That is the entire theft — the difference is real money leaving you.
Do not ship before payment fully clears. 'Pending' is not 'paid.'
Do not accept overpayment 'by accident.' Accidental overpayments get canceled, not refunded by the seller.
Do not move off-platform. Scammers push to email or chat apps to dodge marketplace protections.

Frequently asked questions

What if the payment already shows in my account?

Pending or memo-posted funds can still reverse. Wait for full clearance — days, not hours.

Can I just keep the overpayment?

No — it will be reversed, and spending it leaves you negative. Cancel instead.

Is this the same as fake check scams?

Same family, marketplace flavor — see fake check scams for the mailed-check version.

About the author

By Juan Ibarra · Google IT Support Certified (Verified on Credly). See the About page for full author details.