Sellers on OfferUp get hit with buyers who “accidentally” overpay, send a forged payment screenshot, or push a cashier’s check / money order for more than the asking price so you will refund the difference before funds are real. Meetup and off-app cousins: Fake OfferUp meetup scams. Classic check theater: Fake overpayment check scams. eBay seller-side parallel: Fake eBay buyer overpayment scams. Related: Credit and debt scams.
This guide is buyer-overpayment / fake-check theater aimed at OfferUp sellers, not the full meetup-safety playbook and not OfferUp shipping-label phishing.
How the play works
| What you see | What is actually happening |
|---|---|
| Buyer “pays” more than the price and asks you to refund excess via gift card, wire, or Zelle | Overpayment is fake or will reverse; your refund is real cash out |
| Screenshot: “Payment completed; please ship / meet today” | Image edit; only cash-in-hand or current in-app status is trustworthy |
| Buyer wants to pay outside OfferUp “to skip fees” | No seller protection; often a P2P or crypto drain |
| “My assistant overpaid with a company check / cashier’s check” | Check later bounces after you shipped or refunded |
| Urgent courier pickup for a buyer who “already paid double” | Pressure to hand over the item plus a cash refund |
Legitimate OfferUp deals settle with cash at a public meetup (OfferUp ended nationwide shipping in 2025, so do not rely on retired shipping checkout). Off-platform “I’ll Venmo you double; refund me the rest” is a scam script, not a feature.
Common OfferUp overpayment scripts
- Excess refund. Buyer claims they sent $1,200 for a $450 item; you are told to keep the price and refund $750. The original “payment” never clears or is clawed back.
- Fake cleared screenshot. JPEG or PDF shows green “Completed.” The app still shows unpaid or no payment at all.
- Friends & Family / off-app PayPal or Cash App. Buyer asks you to accept a personal send “because the app failed.” Gift-card cousins: Gift cards and prepaid debit risks.
- Second buyer / shipping label story. After a partial payment, a “freight agent” emails a prepaid label and a new overpayment tale.
- Chargeback after you refunded. You already sent the “excess” cash; the buyer then disputes the original charge. You lose item + refund + dispute.
Worked example
Priya lists a used dining set for $500 on OfferUp. A buyer messages: “My procurement card sent $950 by mistake; keep $500, Zelle me $450 today so I can close the PO, then we’ll schedule pickup.” Priya sees a Cash App “Payment received” screenshot. OfferUp chat still shows no in-app payment. Healthy version: Priya refuses any off-app refund, insists on cash at a public meetup, and never hands over furniture on a screenshot. She does not follow old “OfferUp shipping checkout” steps (nationwide shipping ended in 2025). She blocks the buyer and reports the message.
Hard rules before you ship, meet, or refund
- Only trust cash in hand or current in-app status, not emails, texts, or screenshots.
- Never refund an “overpayment” with gift cards, wire, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, crypto, or Western Union.
- Do not accept checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for local listings you meant to sell for cash; stick to cash meetup.
- Do not move the deal off OfferUp to “save fees.”
- Prefer never refunding an overage at all. Do not ship on remote “payment cleared” stories; OfferUp is local-meetup first after shipping ended in 2025.
If you already refunded or shipped
- Stop further refunds or shipments immediately.
- Collect message threads, screenshots, tracking, and bank/Zelle references.
- Contact your bank or P2P provider’s fraud line using a number from their official site.
- Report the buyer through OfferUp and file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; consider local police for large losses.
- Watch for follow-up “recovery” callers who want another fee; that is another scam layer.
Checklist
- Payment truth lives in the app (or cash in your hand), not in DMs or JPEGs.
- Overpayment + “refund the difference” = walk away.
- No gift cards, wires, or P2P for OfferUp refunds or deposits.
- No off-platform payment “to skip fees.”
- Meet only after payment status matches your risk rules (cash preferred).
- Report and document if you already sent money or goods.
Educational only. Not legal, banking, or platform-policy advice. OfferUp payment tools and dispute windows change; confirm current Help Center guidance.