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Loans & credit

Fake checks and overpayment refunds

A buyer or employer claims to overpay and asks for a refund. An available balance does not prove the funds are genuine.

See response steps Share this in a workshop
A woman using a smartphone beside books and printed material

If you have one minute

Pause, then verify independently.

Amount exceeds the agreed price

Before paying

Reject overpaid checks

See verification steps →

If you paid or shared details

Pause refunds and shipping

See response steps →

Start with these three signs

  • Amount exceeds the agreed price
  • Urgent demand to refund
  • Refund to another account or in gift cards

How the situation unfolds

  1. Contact

    Resale buyers, remote employers or refund notices.

  2. The lure

    The payment arrived; send the excess to a named recipient.

  3. The demand and outcome

    Delayed check verification or a fabricated payment screenshot prompts a refund from real funds before the original payment is exposed.

Verify these things before paying

  1. Reject overpaid checks
  2. Ask your bank about payment status
  3. Use the original platform refund process

Already engaged or paid?

  1. Pause refunds and shipping
  2. Notify the bank or platform
  3. Keep payment and refund demands; report fraud

Contact your payment provider and local police promptly. The responsible institution must confirm whether a payment can be stopped, disputed or returned.

Keep these records

Check or payment notice
Sale agreement
Refund demands
Refund recipient details

Keep originals and organise working copies. Never give strangers verification codes, banking passwords, private keys or seed phrases.

Original references

  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Publisher location：United States · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams

This page summarises public prevention guidance to help recognise methods. It is not an enforcement conclusion about a particular incident. Check the source page for its original title. Procedures and reporting routes vary by jurisdiction. Compiled October 2026.

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