Phone Common Last seen May 19, 2026

Refund-and-overpayment scam.

A caller says they're refunding you money, 'accidentally' sends too much, and asks you to send the difference back.

How it shows up

  • Antivirus refund Your subscription auto-renewed at $499, let us process the refund.
  • Closed software company We're going out of business, refunding all customers.
  • Wrong-amount payroll Variant aimed at small business owners.
  • Wrong Zelle deposit I sent it to the wrong person, can you Zelle it back?

The caller says they’re with the support team for software you used to use, or a service that’s closing down, and you’re owed a refund of, say, $400. They walk you through letting them remote into your computer so they can process it. Then they show you a fake bank screen that appears to deposit $4,000 instead of $400. They panic. They say they’ll lose their job. They beg you to send back the difference, usually in gift cards or a wire.

No money ever moved. They faked the screen. Whatever you send back comes out of your real account and goes to them.

The emotional shape is what makes this one effective. You go from being the victim of a mistake to being the kind person helping someone fix it. Helpfulness is the lever.

Principles to remember

  1. Never give out a password, a 2FA code, or remote access

    Legitimate support never needs your password, your one-time code, or control of your screen. Anyone asking for those things is running a scam.

  2. Gift cards, wire transfers, and crypto are scam currencies

    Legitimate bills, fines, and fees are paid with checks, cards, or bank transfers. If a stranger wants gift cards, Bitcoin, or a wire, the request itself is the scam.

  3. If you can’t undo it, it’s probably a scam

    Real transactions can be disputed, reversed, or paused. Anything pushing you toward a one-way action is designed that way for a reason.