A friendly customer, a payment mistake, and a request to send some money back. It sounds harmless, and that's exactly the problem. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze stops at The Mug in Sutherland, NE, to unpack a fake check overpayment scam that nearly cost a small business thousands of pounds, and why the same trick works just as well on American bank accounts.

The scam starts with an ordinary customer inquiry, moves into an "accidental" overpayment, and ends with a request to refund the difference. Jen breaks down why the money you see in your account isn't always the money that's actually yours yet, and how that gap between available funds and fully collected funds is exactly what scammers exploit. Whether you run a business or just sell something online, this episode covers the one pause that can save you from a very expensive mistake.

Key Topics Covered:

• How a fake check overpayment scam nearly cost a UK small business thousands
• Why the FTC specifically warns American small businesses about this exact scam
• The difference between available funds and fully collected funds, and why it matters
• Why Venmo overpayment refund requests are almost always fraudulent
• This week's cyber tip: never refund an unexpected overpayment outside your normal process

☕ Featured Coffee Shop: The Mug, Sutherland, NE

Don't let a good customer story talk you out of a smart pause. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips delivered from coffee shops across the country, and share this with any small business owner or online seller you know.

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