Deepak Gupta

Brand and service impersonation · Also called Amazon refund scam, overpaid refund scam, fake order cancellation, PayPal refund scam

Fake refund and over-refund scam

A refund scam is when someone posing as a well-known retailer, payment service, or software company says you are owed a refund or were charged for an order you did not make. While processing the refund they take control of your device, fake an overpayment, and pressure you to send the difference back.

How it works

A call, text, or email warns of a suspicious order, a subscription renewal, or a refund due, with a number to call.
The fake agent asks for remote access to process the refund and has you sign in to online banking.
They add extra zeros to the refund, or move money between your own accounts, so it looks as if you were overpaid.
They beg or pressure you to return the excess by gift card, wire, cash, or crypto, sometimes calling the gift card numbers security codes.

Red flags

An unexpected message about an order or charge you do not recognise gives a phone number to call.
The agent needs remote access to your device to give you a refund.
You are told you were refunded too much and must send the difference back.
You are asked to buy gift cards and read out the numbers.

If you are targeted

Stop contact: hang up and do not send money or buy gift cards.
Sign in to the company's app or website yourself to check your orders and account.
If you gave remote access or banking details, remove the software, change your passwords, and call your bank or card issuer.
Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

Never call a phone number given in an unexpected call, text, email, or social media message.
Never give anyone remote access to your devices unless you contacted the company first.
Never pay by gift card; the FTC says nobody legitimate will require it.

For organisations

Retailers and payment services can tell customers how they really handle refunds and that staff never need remote access to issue one.
Gift card sellers can warn buyers at the till and online that anyone asking for payment in gift cards is a scammer.

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Tech and customer support scam losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025	$2.13B	US, 2025, FBI IC3
Business impersonator losses reported to the FTC in 2025 (nearly this amount)	$1B	US, 2025, FTC
Remote access scam losses reported in Australia in 2025	A$69.9M	AU, 2025, ACCC

Real cases

No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.

Delivered through: Voice phishing (vishing), Email phishing, SMS phishing (smishing)

How official datasets classify it

FBI IC3: Tech/Customer Support
FTC: Business Imposters
UK Finance: Impersonation: other

Questions

Would Amazon or another retailer give me a refund through remote access?: No legitimate company needs control of your device to refund you. Check your orders by signing in to the company's app or website yourself.
They say they refunded me too much. Should I send it back?: No. The overpayment is usually your own money moved between your accounts or a fake figure. Hang up and call your bank on a number you trust.