"I sent you money by mistake": the InstaPay trick that makes you pay from your own pocket
A stranger calls saying they transferred money to you by mistake and wants it back. Or a collection request arrives labelled "refund". Same trap, two doors.
Kansel2 min read
Trick one: "give me my money back"
A distressed voice: "I sent you 3,000 EGP by mistake on InstaPay, please send it back, it's for treatment." Sometimes a convincing transfer screenshot follows. You check your account: sometimes there really is money coming in, sometimes not and "it will show up in a bit".
If you send it, you paid from your own pocket. The money that "arrived" either never did, or came from another victim's account and the bank will claw it back later, leaving you short by what you sent.
Trick two: a collection request called "refund"
InstaPay has "request to pay": someone asks you for an amount and you approve or decline. The scammer sends one with the description "refund" or "action on your account". If you tap approve, you just paid them. The words on the request change nothing: approving a collection request means you pay, not receive.
Trick three: "I'm from customer service"
The same call that comes in the banks' name: someone says they work for the app and needs to confirm your details or fix a problem, then asks for your password or the code you just received. The app itself keeps warning about this: no employee will ask for a password, a code, or a card number.
InstaPay says it plainly: transfers are instant and there is no cancelling from inside the app. Any money that leaves your account with your approval is not coming back at the tap of a button.
What to do when the call comes
- Never transfer because of a call. If someone really did send you money by mistake, there is an official path for them (below) and you don't have to do anything.
- Collection requests: decline any from someone you don't know. "Refund" in the description is one more reason to decline.
- No password and no code to anyone, however helpful they sound.
- Report the number in Kansel so the call doesn't reach the next person.
If you really did send money to the wrong person
It happens, and the path is known:
- Contact the recipient and ask for it back. Most do.
- Call InstaPay customer service on 15989 with the transaction reference.
- Ask your bank for a "goodwill request": your bank contacts the recipient's bank to recover the amount.
- If the recipient refuses, file a report with the cybercrime police with proof of the transfer and proof you don't know them.
