Tech Support Refund Overpayment Scam
After fake tech support "service," scammers claim they accidentally refunded too much and demand you return the "excess" via gift cards.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Claims of accidental large refund
- ⚠Emotional manipulation ("I'll be fired")
- ⚠Asks you to check bank while they have remote access
- ⚠Gift cards to "return" money
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →HANG UP immediately
- →DISCONNECT remote access
- →CHECK bank on separate device/phone
- →KNOW: Refunds don't happen instantly
- →They edited your screen—nothing was refunded
More Details
- “I accidentally refunded $3,000!”
- “Please don't get me fired”
- “Just buy gift cards to return the extra”
- “Check your bank - see the deposit?”
- “I'll lose my job if you don't help”
Common Questions
Never. Microsoft doesn't make unsolicited calls. Any such call is 100% a scam. Hang up immediately.
Almost certainly. Don't call the number. Check your bank for actual charges. Log into norton.com directly.
Disconnect internet immediately. Run antivirus. Change all passwords from different device. Check bank accounts. Consider professional help.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Esc (Mac) to force quit browser. Don't call any number shown.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)