In 2023, overpayment scams are still prevalent, even though more and more people are becoming aware of them. Scammers will typically send false payment for a purchase or a service with more money than is due. They then ask for the additional amount to be returned to them. In other cases, they may ask for a favor, such as asking for a gift card or money transfer in exchange for the overpayment.
Once the unsuspecting individual sends the additional amount to the scammer, they will never receive the original payment, or they may only receive a portion of it. This can leave people out of pocket and out of luck, as the money is almost always impossible to recover.
The best way to protect yourself from such scams is to be aware of them and to never trust a payment unless it is clearly from a legitimate source. It is also important to always double-check the payment amount against the agreed-upon amount and to never return any money before the original payment is received. If it ever looks too good to be true, it probably is.
