FraudScope // Threat Library // Overpayment scam
Scam type // Marketplace
The overpayment scam
A buyer offers to pay more than your asking price, then asks you to refund the difference or pay a "shipper." The overpayment is fake or will be reversed, and the money you send back is real. Here is how sellers get caught.
What it is
Real money out, fake money in
In an overpayment scam, a "buyer" sends you more than the item costs, usually by check, a hijacked payment app, or a fake receipt. They then claim it was a mistake and ask you to send the extra back.
By the time the original payment bounces or is reversed, the refund you sent is long gone. You are out the difference and often the item too.
The playbook
How the scam works
Eager, easy buyer
They agree to your price fast and want to pay right away, often without negotiating.
The "accidental" overpayment
They send too much, blaming a typo or a "shipping agent" who needs paying.
The refund request
They urgently ask you to return the difference, or forward it to a third party.
The reversal
The original payment is fake or charged back. Your refund is real and unrecoverable.
In their words
What the message looks like
Red flags
Warning signs to watch for
- A buyer who pays more than you asked, then wants the difference back.
- Payment by check or a screenshot of a "payment" you cannot independently confirm.
- A third party, like a "shipper" or "mover," who must be paid from your refund.
- Pressure to refund or ship before the funds have actually settled.
- A buyer who never asks normal questions about the item.
How FraudScope helps
Spot it before you ship
Paste the buyer’s messages and FraudScope names the overpayment archetype, the fake-refund pressure, and the third-party hook. It explains why waiting for true settlement defeats the scam.
Analysis runs entirely on your iPhone and makes no network requests. The only time FraudScope touches the internet is if you tap Inspect URL to check where a link really goes, and it tells you before it does.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I avoid the overpayment scam as a seller?
Never refund or ship based on a payment that has not fully settled in your account. Treat any overpayment plus a refund request as a scam. Prefer in-person cash for local sales and never involve a buyer’s "shipping agent."
The payment shows in my app. Is it safe to refund?
Not necessarily. Some payments appear briefly then reverse, and screenshots are easy to fake. Wait until funds are genuinely settled and cannot be clawed back before you ever send money out.
Does FraudScope send my messages anywhere?
No. Analysis runs entirely on your iPhone with no network connection. The only time it contacts the internet is if you choose to inspect a link’s destination, and it tells you before it does.
Will FraudScope catch every scam?
No tool can. FraudScope is strongest with the full content of a message and weaker with a bare screenshot that has no link or sender. It is a powerful second opinion, not a guarantee. When in doubt, slow down and check with someone you trust.
Read the scam before it reads you
FraudScope explains what a suspicious message is really trying to do, entirely on your iPhone. Now available on the App Store.