The Check Appeared in Your Account. That Does Not Make the Refund Safe.

The check appears in your account. Then the buyer asks you to send back the extra money. You can see a higher balance, so the refund feels safe. Stop before making that transfer. In a fake-check overpayment scam, the deposit and the money you send are two different things. One can be reversed after the other is already gone. The dangerous moment is when a number on your banking screen starts to feel like proof that the stranger's payment is real. Fake-check overpayment scam explainer. Original illustrative scenes, not evidence of a real victim or allegations against an identified platform. AI-generated artwork and synthetic studio narration. Sources checked 21 October 2026. Do not forward money on an unverified check; contact the genuine payment provider promptly if money was sent. Recovery is not guaranteed. Chapters 00:00 The balance goes up 00:27 A sale turns into a favour 00:58 Available is not verified 01:27 The refund can become your loss 01:55 A convincing check is not enough 02:26 Do not call the number they supply 02:57 The payment method is another clue 03:29 Stop before the deposit if you can 03:59 Already deposited does not mean too late 04:34 If money has already left 05:05 The same mechanism wears other clothes 05:35 Keep the next payment under your control Primary sources FTC — How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot... FTC — Check overpayment scams, seller beware https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press... FDIC — Beware of Fake Checks https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/ne... FTC — What To Do if You Were Scammed https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-... Visuals created for this episode using ImageGen. Font: Manrope and Libre Baskerville, SIL OFL 1.1. Licensed sound effects: see production rights ledger.