The Overpayment Reversal Scam

Flggd Scam School · Delivery, Refund & Logistics Scams · Lesson 5 of 5

You sold something online, and the buyer paid too much — now they want the difference back. If you're searching "buyer overpaid me scam", stop before you send anything. Here's what's really happening.

The message looks like this

Hi! Just sent payment for the desk. My assistant typed $250 instead of $25 by mistake. Could you send the $225 back to me on Zelle today? I can't cancel it from my side. So sorry!

Why this is a scam

The overpayment was never real. It's a fake email receipt, a doctored screenshot, a payment from a stolen card, or a check that will bounce next week.

When the fake payment collapses, the platform claws it back from your account. But the "difference" you sent came from your real balance. The scammer keeps that and sometimes the item too, if you already shipped it.

Red flags checklist

• Any overpayment, on any platform. Real buyers almost never overpay.

• A story explaining the mistake; an assistant, a typo, a sick relative.

• The refund must go through a different app than the payment came in on.

• You're rushed to send the difference "today", before funds have cleared.

• The payment shows as pending, or only exists in a screenshot.

The manipulation tactic

Guilt and helpfulness. You feel like you're holding someone else's money, so returning it feels like the honest thing to do. This scam aims straight at your decency.

What to do - and what not to do

• Never send back a "difference"; not from your bank, not from any app.

• Treat every overpayment as a cancelled sale. Refund the whole payment through the platform's own refund button, or let the platform reverse it.

• Wait until money has fully cleared before shipping anything.

• Report the buyer to the platform you're selling on.

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