The marketplace overpayment

A scammer buys something from you online, sends more money than agreed, then asks you to refund the difference—but the payment never actually clears.

Documented by the FTC & FBI IC3 · reviewed 2026-07-11T18:14:57.874Z

How it works

You list an item for sale online (a car, appliance, collectible, etc.). A buyer contacts you quickly, seems eager, and sends a payment that appears to go through. Then they claim they sent too much by accident and ask you to wire back the overage to complete the deal. By the time you send your refund, the original payment bounces or is reversed.

What it can look like

You post a used phone for $300. A buyer messages within hours saying they want it and will pay $350 to rush shipment. You receive what looks like a confirmation email, send the phone and wire back $50 to an account they provide. A week later, your bank tells you the $350 payment was fraudulent—and you're out both the phone and the $50 you refunded.

How it unfolds

Scams like this follow a pattern. Knowing the arc helps you notice where you are — and step away before the ask.

You list something for sale online. A buyer quickly responds with enthusiasm and offers to pay more than your asking price—they say they're eager or in a hurry.

The buyer sends payment, but it arrives as more than the agreed amount. They contact you apologetically, claiming a mistake, and ask you to refund the overage to them directly or send it to a 'third party' to 'correct the error.'

You feel helpful and reasonable sending the refund. Days or weeks later, your bank tells you the original payment was fraudulent or reversed—meaning the overpayment never really arrived, but your refund to the buyer was real money from your own account.

You realize you've sent your own money to a scammer and the buyer has disappeared. The moment to stop is the instant someone asks you to send money back—legitimate buyers do not overpay and ask for refunds.

Red flags

Buyer responds suspiciously fast and seems overly eager to overpay
Payment confirmation arrives before you'd expect it to fully process
Buyer quickly asks for a refund of the 'overage' via wire transfer or gift card
The refund request uses urgency or unusual reasons ('help me out,' 'just wire it,' 'don't delay')
Original payment later fails or is reversed by the bank

What to do

Wait 5–7 business days after a payment is received before shipping anything or sending refunds; verify directly with your bank that funds have fully cleared
Never wire money, send a gift card, or use peer-to-peer payment apps to refund a buyer—these are nearly impossible to reverse
Report the scam attempt to reportfraud.ftc.gov and save all messages and payment confirmations

If it already happened

Acting quickly can limit the damage. You are not alone, and it is not your fault.

Stop all communication with the buyer immediately. Do not send any further money or engage with requests.
Contact your bank or payment service right away. Tell them the transaction was fraudulent, explain the overpayment scheme, and ask them to reverse or investigate any payments you sent out.
If you used a third-party payment app (like peer-to-peer transfer services), contact that service's fraud team and report the account you sent money to.
Document everything—save all messages, payment confirmations, and a timeline of what happened. Then report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Sources

Guidance on this page draws on public, authoritative consumer-protection resources (verified live 2026-07-10). Documented by the FTC & FBI IC3 · reviewed 2026-07-11T18:14:57.874Z.

Spotted this or lost money? Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov. This is general educational information, not legal or financial advice — and ScamVet never asks for your identity or account details.

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