What is a “Renter Overpayment Scam”?
Scammers will send you an inquiry, which may seem legitimate, but at some point suggest they send you more than your rental fees and ask you wire back the difference. The check they send you will be a fake, but usually takes the bank several weeks to catch it. By then, you have wired the difference back and will be unable to recover what you have sent. In some instances, the bad check will even clear your bank initially. We suggest you insist on exact payment, however, if you do accept an overpayment, wait at least 30 days before returning any funds. If you receive a suspicious inquiry mentioning that a third party (a business, assistant, or someone who owes them money) is going to send an overpayment, we recommend that you delete the inquiry without responding. See fraud.org for more information.
Scammers will send you an inquiry, which may seem legitimate, but at some point suggest they send you more than your rental fees and ask you wire back the difference. The check they send you will be a fake, but usually takes the bank several weeks to catch it. By then, you have wired the difference back and will be unable to recover what you have sent. In some instances, the bad check will even clear your bank initially. We suggest you insist on exact payment, however, if you do accept an overpayment, wait at least 30 days before returning any funds. If you receive a suspicious inquiry mentioning that a third party (a business, assistant, or someone who owes them money) is going to send an overpayment, we recommend that you delete the inquiry without responding. See fraud.org for more information. If this does not fully answer your question please feel free to contact us by clicking here.
