The buyer sent too much and asks me to refund the difference. Is that a scam?
Yes, this is a known scam. The "overpayment" is either a fake screenshot or a transfer from a stolen account that will be reversed; the refund you send is real money from your own balance. Refund nothing until the original payment is confirmed in your own app and has stayed there.
The buyer is apologetic and in a hurry: "I typed an extra zero, please send back the difference now". If the original transfer came from a hacked GCash or bank account, it will be taken back when the owner complains, and you lose both the refund and the item.
What to do
- Check your own GCash or bank app. If no money arrived, there was no overpayment.
- If money did arrive, wait. Do not refund on the same day.
- Refund only to the same account the money came from, never to a "different number".
- Contact GCash or your bank if the amount or the sender seems strange.
- Save the chat: a refund request before payment is proof of attempted fraud.
Frequently asked questions
- The buyer threatens to report me if I do not refund. What do I do?
- Let them. You have done nothing wrong by waiting for a real payment to be confirmed.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you are talking to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email, the name and the ID, for ₱199.
Check a person