Refund Requests From Customers: When They Are Scams
"Please refund me to this other number." How customers, and people pretending to be customers, trick sellers with overpayments, refund redirects and fake returns.
Refunds are part of good customer service. They are also a favourite route for fraud, because sellers want to be fair and fast. The key is simple: refunds only go back where the money came from, after the money has really arrived.
Common refund tricks
- Overpayment: a fake or reversible payment for too much, then "please refund the difference". See overpayment tricks.
- Refund redirect: "please refund to my brother's number, mine is blocked".
- Double payment claims with fake screenshots.
- Fake returns: a broken or different item sent back.
- Impersonated customers contacting you from a new number about a real order.
Refund rules
- Confirm the original payment in your own records. See record-keeping.
- Refund only to the original number, card or account.
- Inspect returns before refunding.
- Get owner approval for any refund.
"Refund to another number" is almost always a scam. Politely decline.
Related: refund scams against consumers. For more, see mobile money and banking scams.
Frequently asked questions
Should I refund to a different number or account than the one that paid?
No. Refund to the original payment method only. A request to refund elsewhere is a common scam.
The customer says they paid twice. What should I do?
Check your records and balance for two genuine payments before refunding anything.
What about returns?
Inspect returned items before refunding. Some scams return a different or broken item.
Sources
- How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Refund and Recovery Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Mobile Payment Apps: How To Avoid a Scam When You Use One, US Federal Trade Commission
