Is a buyer asking me to refund an overpayment on Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App?
Hey! So I just sent the payment through Zelle but I accidentally typed $450 instead of $250 for the dresser 😩 Can you check your email you should have a confirmation from Zelle for $450. I really need that $200 back asap can you just send it to my Cash App $DLynne2024 and I'll come pick up the dresser tonight? I'm so sorry about the mix up
Scam, and it is the mirror image of the accidental-payment version: here the overpayment is deliberate and the refund is the point. Someone buying an item or hiring you sends too much, then asks for the difference back. The original payment is reversible and the difference you send is not, which is the entire arithmetic of it.
How to spot this scam
- The buyer overpays without a convincing reason, then treats the excess as an urgent problem to fix.
- You are asked to refund the difference before the original payment has fully cleared.
- The refund is requested by a different method, or to a different account, than the payment came from.
- The story explains the overpayment in a way that adds pressure: a mistyped figure, an assistant's error, a shipping agent who must be paid.
- They want the transaction moved off the platform where you listed the item.
- They resist any suggestion that the provider reverse the original payment properly, which would cost them nothing if it were genuine.
- They suggest gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer for the return, which are the methods the FTC lists as favoured because they cannot be undone.
What to do now
- Refund nothing by hand. Ask the sender to reverse the original payment through the provider.
- Wait for funds to be genuinely settled, not merely showing in a balance, before parting with goods or money.
- Report it in the app, and to the marketplace where the buyer found you.
- Keep the listing conversation on the platform, where there is a record and a report button.
- If you already sent the difference, contact your provider and bank the same day and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Treat any buyer who overpays as a red flag rather than good fortune, because genuine buyers rarely do.
What it looks like on your phone
Got a message like this? Check yours free
Paste any text, link, or number you are unsure about. Bewary gives you a straight answer in seconds, and the exact reason why.
Private. Never sold, never tied to you.
Sources and reporting
Use official channels to confirm a suspicious request and report fraud.