Mom was selling Dad’s old fishing boat and called me puzzled. “Kim, a buyer sent me a check for $3,000 more than the price — he says it was a mistake and asked me to just wire the extra back to his shipper. He seems so apologetic. Should I?”
Absolutely not, Mom. Don’t send a dime back. That extra money isn’t real, and the moment you wire it, it’s gone — out of your own pocket. This is the overpayment scam, and it catches a lot of honest people precisely because they’re honest.
It shows up whenever you’re selling something or getting “hired,” and it works by turning your fairness against you.
The scammer “overpays” — a check, or a payment that looks like it cleared — for more than they owe, then asks you to refund the difference, usually by wire, Zelle, or gift card. Here’s the catch banks don’t always explain: a check can look “cleared” and show in your balance for days before it finally bounces. By the time the bank claws back the fake check, you’ve already sent real money back to the scammer. You’re left owing your bank the whole amount.
The rule that protects you: never send money back to someone who “overpaid” you. A real buyer who overpays can simply cancel and send the right amount. If anyone pays you too much and asks you to return part of it — to a “shipper,” an “agent,” anyone — stop. It’s a scam every time. Wait until a payment is truly, permanently settled (ask your bank to confirm, not just “available”) before you rely on a cent of it.
Kim’s 3 Rules
1. Never refund an “overpayment.” A real buyer just cancels and pays the right amount.
2. A check can look cleared for days and still bounce. “Available” is not the same as truly settled — ask your bank.
3. If someone overpays and asks you to wire the difference to a third party, it’s a scam. Full stop.
If it already happened
If you already wired money back, call your bank immediately — there’s a small window where a wire can sometimes be stopped. Keep every message and the check. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. This scam fools careful people; the fault is entirely the crook’s.
Mom told the “buyer” her bank asked her to wait until the check fully settled. He stopped writing within the hour — the surest sign of all. She sold the boat a month later to a neighbor, for cash, at the fair price.
Kim spent 30 years in computer security and now helps her 80-year-old mom — and you — stay safe online. Got a strange email, text, or call? Ask Kim first.
💡 Have a question for Kim? Use “Questions from readers” just above — Kim answers within the hour. Comments here are for sharing with other members (but Kim reads them too).
Loading comments…