"I sent you money by mistake, please send it back": the PayNow refund scam

"I sent you money by mistake, please send it back": the PayNow refund scam

A message arrives from a number you do not know: "Hi, sorry, I PayNow-ed you S$200 by mistake, can you please transfer it back? It's my rent money." Sometimes there really is S$200 in your account. Sometimes there is only a screenshot. Either way, the polite reflex of sending the money back is exactly what the scammer is counting on. In Singapore it usually takes the shape of PayNow and bank transfer "mistakes". The safe rule: never return money yourself to a stranger; let your bank handle it.

How does the refund scam work?

There are three common variants:

1. The fake payment. There is no money at all. The "sender" shows you a doctored screenshot of a PayNow or bank transfer, often with a very convincing layout, and asks for a refund. If you do not check your actual account, you pay from your own money.
2. The real but dirty money. The money really arrives, but it comes from another scam victim. When you "return" it to the account the stranger gives you, you have helped launder stolen money and may find yourself involved in a police investigation as a money mule. The original victim may also claim the funds back from your bank.
3. The overpayment. Often on marketplaces: a "buyer" pays more than the agreed price, by real transfer, fake screenshot or a fake "payment link", and asks you to refund the difference to another account.

In all three, the scammer uses your honesty and the speed of instant payments, which are very hard to reverse once sent.

How can I tell it's a refund scam?

• A stranger contacts you about a payment you did not expect.
• They ask you to send the money to a different account or number from the one it supposedly came from.
• They show a screenshot instead of letting you check your account.
• Urgency and emotion: rent, hospital bills, "my boss will fire me".
• They become aggressive or threaten to report you to the police if you do not pay quickly.
• There is no record of the payment in your banking app, or the payer's name does not match.

What should I do right now?

1. Open your banking app directly (not any link in a message) and check whether the money actually arrived. A screenshot proves nothing.
2. If nothing arrived, it is a fake. Block the number and report it.
3. If the money did arrive, do not send it back yourself, and certainly not to a different account. Call your bank on its official number and tell them you received funds you do not recognise. The bank can handle the return through the proper channel.
4. Tell the sender to contact their own bank to request a recall of the mistaken transfer. A genuine sender will accept this; a scammer will push back.
5. Do not spend the money. It is not yours, and it may be from a crime.
6. Report the number through ScamShield and keep screenshots of the conversation.

What if I've already sent the money?

1. Call your bank immediately and explain what happened. Ask whether the transfer can be stopped or traced.
2. Keep all evidence: the conversation, the number, the screenshot they sent and your transfer receipt.
3. Make a police report through SPF e-services or at a Neighbourhood Police Centre. If real money from another victim passed through your account, reporting early protects you.
4. Follow ScamShield's I've been scammed checklist.

Where do I report it and who can help?

Report the scam through ScamShield, call the ScamShield Helpline (1799) if you are unsure, and make a police report if you lost money or if unknown funds passed through your account. To understand how PayNow works, the Association of Banks in Singapore has an explainer on its PayNow page.

Frequently asked questions

PayNow showed me the sender's name. Does that make it safe? No. The name may be real, but it may belong to a scam victim or a money mule. That is exactly why the return should go through your bank.

What if the money really was a genuine mistake? Then your bank will sort it out with theirs, and the person gets their money back safely. You lose nothing by doing it properly.

They are threatening to report me to the police. Should I worry? No. Tell them to go ahead and to contact their bank. Make your own police report too.

Can someone take money from my account just by sending me a payment? No. Receiving money does not give anyone access to your account. The danger is what they persuade you to do next: click a link, share a code, or send money back.

In short

Check your actual account, never trust a screenshot, never return money yourself to a stranger, and let your bank handle anything you do not recognise. And if you got one of these messages, report it in the NoCall spam numbers directory.