Fake refund
In plain terms
You're told a sum of money is owed to you and asked for your bank card to pay it out. A refund never asks for a card number — that's the tell.
Definition
The fake refund scam announces that a sum is owed to you — taxes, health insurance, energy, a subscription — and asks for your full banking details to "process the payment."
How it works
The message impersonates a government agency or a supplier and announces an overpayment to be returned. The prospect of receiving money lowers your guard: unlike a threat, good news doesn't raise suspicion. The form asks for full banking details, often the card number rather than a simple account number (IBAN) — a telling detail, since a refund never requires a full card number with expiry date and security code.
Warning signs
- Refund announced without any prior action on your part
- Request for the full card number, including the security code, to receive money
- Deadline imposed to "claim" the sum or lose it
- Precise amount meant to make the message credible
- Link domain different from the organization's official site
How to verify
Log into your official personal account yourself. A real refund will appear there. A government agency never asks for a card number to pay out money: a payment is made to an account number (IBAN) already on file.
What to do
Don't enter any banking details. Delete the message and report it as fraudulent.
If it already happened
Block your card, watch for the following charges, and dispute any unauthorized debits with your bank. File a police report and report the incident to the relevant authority.
Frequently asked questions
- Why would they ask for a card for a refund?
- That's precisely the warning sign. A payment only needs an account number (IBAN). Asking for a full card number, with expiry date and security code, is only ever used to charge, never to pay out.
- The message reproduced the agency's logo exactly.
- A logo can be copied in seconds. The appearance of a message is never proof of authenticity: only accessing your official account, by your own means, lets you verify.
Related attacks
Official sources
This article is part of the Financial fraud family. Last updated: 2026-08-31.