Fake Kijiji overpayment and fake-check scams

A Kijiji “buyer” sends a cashier’s check, money order, bank draft, or corporate check for more than your asking price, then asks you to refund the difference—by Interac e-Transfer, wire, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo Friends & Family, or gift cards—before the instrument fully clears. Funds can look available at RBC, TD, Scotiabank, Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, or a credit union for days, then the check returns unpaid and you are short whatever you already forwarded. This page is the overpayment / fake-check lane; meetup and off-app payment cousins live in Fake Kijiji meetup scams. Classifieds cousins: Fake Gumtree overpayment scams.

Broader map: Credit and debt scams. Gift-card extracts: Gift cards and prepaid debit risks. General fake-check patterns: Fake overpayment check scams.

How the overpayment script works

Kijiji is strongest in Canada; U.S.-facing mirrors of the same script show up on Craigslist and OfferUp. Treat any “extra” as a hard stop—even if the PDF looks like a real credit-union cashier’s check or a bank draft from a named institution.

Red flags specific to overpayment

• Asking price is local and small; payment arrives from out of province or out of country for a much larger amount.
• Buyer will not do cash at a public meetup and insists on a mailed check or bank draft first.
• “Shipping company,” “moving crew,” or “procurement office” needs the difference e-Transferred or wired same day.
• Pressure to refund before your bank confirms the check has fully cleared (posted availability is not clearance).
• Refusal to use in-person payment when the listing is marked local pickup / collection only.

Worked example: the $400 mountain bike

Sam lists a used mountain bike for $400 on Kijiji. “Alex” emails a PDF of a $975 cashier’s check, says a logistics contractor will pick up, and asks Sam to Interac e-Transfer or wire $575 change. Sam deposits the check at TD; $975 shows as available after two business days. Sam sends $575. Twelve days later the check is returned unpaid. Sam is out roughly $575 (plus any fees) while the transfer is gone—and if the bike was handed over, that too.

Sam’s recovery path: call the bank fraud desk the same day; ask about a recall (often unsuccessful once paid out); report through Kijiji’s flag tools and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (or ReportFraud.ftc.gov when the deal was U.S.-side); file a local police report if needed for the bank’s claim file; do not pay a “recovery specialist” who cold-calls afterward. Safer path: cash only at a police-station lot, exact asking price, no third-party refunds.

Safer seller habits

1. Prefer in-person cash (or a platform checkout that holds funds when one exists) for local Kijiji deals.
2. Never accept a check for more than the agreed price. Never refund “extras.”
3. If you must take a check, wait until your bank confirms final clearance—not provisional credit—before releasing the item or sending any money.
4. Keep negotiations in Kijiji messaging until meetup; be wary of rapid off-platform switches paired with overpayment.
5. Ignore buyers who will only deal through Western Union, MoneyGram, crypto ATMs, or gift cards.

Named brands that appear in these scripts include Kijiji, Craigslist, OfferUp, Interac, Western Union, MoneyGram, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, Apple / Google Play gift cards, and mobile-deposit flows at major banks and credit unions. Logos on a PDF do not make the instrument good.

If you already refunded an overpayment

1. Contact your bank or credit union’s fraud line immediately; ask about recalls and provisional-credit disputes.
2. For Western Union / MoneyGram, call their fraud lines the same day—intercepts sometimes work if uncollected.
3. Preserve the ad, emails, check images, and transfer receipts.
4. File with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (or ReportFraud.ftc.gov) and consider a police report for large losses.
5. Monitor accounts; consider freezes at Equifax and TransUnion (Canada) or Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (U.S.) if you shared ID images.

Checklist

1. Exact price only—refuse any overpayment story.
2. Local listing → prefer local cash; no mailed checks for small consumer goods.
3. Availability ≠ cleared; never refund on provisional funds.
4. Skip wires, gift cards, Interac to strangers, and Friends & Family P2P for Kijiji unknowns.
5. Document everything; report clear scams even when you walked away.
6. Teach household members the same overpayment rule for Marketplace and Craigslist.

VarageSale overpayment cousins: Fake VarageSale overpayment scams. Letgo / OfferUp-era overpayment cousins: Fake Letgo overpayment scams.

Educational only. Not legal, banking, or fraud-recovery advice. Marketplace brands, app policies, and bank clearance windows vary; verify payment safety pages on Kijiji and with your own bank.