Is that buyer overpaying you on Facebook Marketplace a scam?
You list an item for sale on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Gumtree, or a similar platform. A buyer quickly makes contact, agrees to your price, and sends payment — but 'accidentally' sends too much. They then ask you to forward the excess via Zelle, Venmo, Cashapp, or bank transfer before they arrange collection.
The overpayment is always fraudulent. It's either a fake Zelle/bank notification email (the money never arrived at all), a reversed payment that the bank will claw back, or a cheque that will bounce within days. In every case, the money you forward is real and gone; the money they 'sent' never actually arrived, or disappears.
A variant skips the overpayment entirely: the 'buyer' sends a fake PayPal 'payment received' email and asks you to ship the item before checking your real PayPal balance. The email is a forgery; nothing was ever sent.
🚩 Red flags to watch for
- ▶The buyer agrees to your price immediately without any negotiation.
- ▶They claim they can't meet in person — they're travelling, ill, or in the military — and want to pay remotely and arrange shipping.
- ▶They 'accidentally' send more than the agreed amount and ask you to refund the difference.
- ▶Payment arrives via a method that can be reversed: Zelle (scammers sometimes use compromised accounts), bank transfers that can be recalled, or cheques.
- ▶They ask you to send the excess to a 'shipper', a 'third party', or a family member.
- ▶The payment confirmation email doesn't come from the actual platform (paypal.com, zelle.com) — hover to check the real sender.
✅ What to do
- 1Never ship an item or release goods until the money is confirmed cleared in your real bank account — not just a notification email.
- 2Refuse to forward any portion of a payment to a third party under any circumstances.
- 3For in-person selling, strongly prefer cash or a payment app where reversal is not possible (e.g. Venmo to someone in front of you).
- 4If you've already forwarded money: contact your bank immediately. Report the fraudulent buyer to the platform and to the FTC or Action Fraud.
📣 Where to report (by country)
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Action Fraud
- Police Scotland — call 101
🇦🇺 Australia
🇨🇦 Canada
🌍 Everywhere else
- Contact your local police and your bank immediately
- If money was sent, ask your bank about a recall request — act within hours
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Common questions
The Zelle payment notification looks completely real. How can it be fake?
Email notifications are easy to forge. The only source of truth is your actual bank account balance, viewed by logging in directly. A Zelle payment email means nothing until the money appears in your verified account.
They sent a real cashier's cheque. Aren't those guaranteed?
No. Cashier's cheques can be counterfeits. Banks are legally required to give you access to the funds within days (before the cheque clears), which scammers exploit. A cheque 'clearing' in your account does not mean it won't bounce a week later.