Marketplace overpayment scam: "I sent too much"
A "buyer" sends a check or payment for more than your price and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment bounces days later, and you lose the refund and the item.
How this scam works
The buyer makes an incoming payment look settled, then asks you to send a separate, real payment back. When the original check or stolen-card payment is reversed, your refund is still gone.
Common versions of the message
- A cashier's check for too much
- A request to refund the difference by Zelle
- A buyer who moves the conversation off the marketplace
What the message looks like
Text from Marketplace buyer
I'll take it! I sent a cashier's check for $1,200 by mistake, please refund the difference via Zelle today. My moving company will pick up. Text me on WhatsApp instead of this app.
Fictional example based on common, publicly reported scam patterns.
The red flags
- 1
Overpayment: “cashier's check for $1,200 by mistake”
The check bounces after you send the refund
An overpayment creates money for you to "return," but the first payment can still fail after it appears in your account.
- 2
Refund trick: “refund the difference via Zelle”
Zelle can't be reversed. Your money is gone
The requested refund uses a separate payment method, so it is not tied to the original transaction or its reversal.
- 3
Leave the app: “Text me on WhatsApp”
Off the app means no buyer protection
Moving to WhatsApp removes the conversation from the marketplace record and any protection the platform provides.
What to do
- Only accept the exact price, through the platform's own payment system when possible.
- Never refund an "overpayment".
- Keep the conversation on the marketplace app.
If you already replied, clicked, or paid
- If you deposited a check, tell your bank where it came from and do not spend or return any of the money.
- If you sent a refund, contact the payment app and your bank immediately and report the transaction.
- If you shipped the item, contact the carrier at once to ask whether delivery can be stopped.
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