Overpayment Shipping Refund Scam on Facebook Marketplace
A Facebook Marketplace buyer sends a payment for more than the agreed price, claiming it covers 'extra shipping,' then asks the seller to refund the difference before the original payment is discovered to be fake or reversible.
Part of: Overpayment / Shipping Refund Scam
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Facebook Marketplace's mix of local and shippable listings makes overpayment refund scams easy to run, since a buyer can claim they mistakenly overpaid for shipping costs and request a quick refund before the seller has had time to confirm the original payment actually cleared for good.
How this scam works on Facebook Marketplace
A buyer messages interest in a Marketplace listing being shipped rather than picked up locally, then sends a payment — often a check, a fake payment confirmation screenshot, or a bank transfer — for an amount noticeably higher than the agreed price. The buyer explains this was accidental or covers 'extra shipping and handling,' and asks the seller to refund the difference via a separate, fast method like Zelle, Cash App, or gift cards. The seller, seeing what looks like a cleared or confirmed payment, sends the 'refund' promptly, only to discover days later that the original payment was fraudulent, forged, or reversed, leaving the seller out both the refunded amount and the item if it was already shipped. Because Marketplace transactions for shippable items are less protected than in-person cash sales, sellers who ship an item alongside issuing a refund can lose on both fronts at once.
Common red flags
- Buyer sends a payment for more than the agreed price and asks for the difference back
- Original payment is a check, money order, or screenshot rather than a fully cleared, verified transfer
- Buyer requests the refund via a fast, hard-to-reverse method like Zelle, Cash App, or gift cards
- Urgency to send the refund quickly, often citing a 'shipping deadline' or personal excuse
- Buyer is unusually flexible about the price and eager to move the transaction outside Marketplace's messaging
How to protect yourself
- Never refund an overpayment until the original payment has fully cleared and settled in your account, which can take days for checks
- If a buyer overpays, ask them to cancel and resend the correct amount rather than sending a refund yourself
- Be suspicious of any buyer who overpays and immediately requests money back through a different method
- Ship items only after full, confirmed, and cleared payment for the agreed amount
- Report suspicious buyers to Facebook Marketplace before engaging further
How to report it
- Report the buyer's profile and messages to Facebook Marketplace's fraud reporting tool
- Report a forged or bounced check to your bank and to local law enforcement
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov describing the overpayment scheme
- Report the receiving refund payment method (Zelle, Cash App) to that provider's fraud team
Frequently asked questions
Why shouldn't I refund an overpayment right away?
Checks, money orders, and some transfers can take days to fully clear and can be reversed or found fraudulent after you've already sent a refund, leaving you out both the original item and the refund amount.
What should I do if a Marketplace buyer overpays me?
Ask them to cancel the original payment and resend the correct amount rather than sending any money back yourself, and don't ship the item until the correct payment has fully cleared.