Supplier over-refund: repay a different account?
Pause the repayment. Ask your bank to investigate the incoming funds, reconcile the refund against your order records and confirm the request through an established supplier contact. A visible credit alone is no reason to send a new payment. Supplier-side checks can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Pause repayment and ask your bank to investigate
Do not spend or forward the disputed amount while checking it. Contact your bank through your usual banking channel. Explain that a supplier claims to have over-refunded you and wants repayment to a different account. Give the bank the incoming transaction reference and the repayment request.
Ask what it can establish about the sender, payment method and status, whether any recall or fraud enquiry is pending, and what uncertainty remains. Ask how it would handle a genuine mistaken payment. Do not treat an available balance, supplier screenshot or remittance advice as sufficient repayment approval.
Calculate the genuine refund entitlement
Collect the purchase order, original payments, agreed refund terms, credit notes and bank entries. Match each refund to its order and currency. Separate cancelled goods, agreed defect compensation, freight adjustments and any credit intended for a future order. Compare the incoming amount with the refund actually agreed.
Ask the supplier for a written calculation explaining the alleged excess. Investigate duplicate entries, currency conversion and bank charges before accepting its figure. Record any disputed portion separately. Use the supplier credit-note reconciliation guide for the wider accounting reconciliation.
Confirm the request independently
Call an established supplier contact using a number already held in your records, rather than contact details supplied in the repayment message. Confirm that its finance team issued the request, the refund calculation and both the original and proposed account details. Government fraud guidance recommends confirming old and new account details through a known phone number.
Ask why repayment is requested elsewhere, who owns that account and how it relates to the contracting supplier and incoming sender. A familiar email thread or knowledge of your order should not replace this check. The supplier verification guide covers the underlying company and beneficiary checks.
Agree a verified return route
If the bank's investigation, your reconciliation and independent supplier confirmation support a genuine excess, ask the bank whether it can arrange a return linked to the incoming payment. If a separate transfer is proposed, obtain bank guidance on the route and independently verify the beneficiary before internal approval.
Record the agreed excess, currency, destination, reason and approver. Check that a bank return or recall is not also being processed before authorising a separate payment. If the explanation or destination remains unresolved, keep repayment paused and seek advice. Do not assume that either the old account or the newly requested account is automatically safe.
Keep evidence and act promptly if you have paid
Preserve messages, attachments, bank references, the reconciliation and notes of independent calls. If you have already transferred money and suspect fraud, contact your bank immediately through a trusted channel, give it the destination details and ask about recovery. The supplier bank-transfer fraud guide covers the broader response.
Cambridge China Bridge can help check the supplier's explanation and supporting order documents through its own staff in China. Your bank investigates the incoming payment, and your business retains repayment approval. Keep these tasks separate so supplier confirmation does not become an instruction to release funds.
Frequently asked questions
Should I repay a supplier because the refund shows in my account?
Pause first. Ask your bank to investigate the credit, reconcile the agreed refund and independently confirm the request. A visible credit alone is insufficient repayment approval.
What if the supplier wants repayment to another account?
Ask why, identify the account owner and confirm the details through an established contact. Discuss the return route with your bank before approving any transfer.
Can my bank confirm that the refund is genuine?
Ask what it can verify about the sender, payment method and status, and what remains uncertain. The bank's checks do not establish how much refund your order entitled you to.
What should I do if I already repaid the alleged excess?
If you suspect fraud, contact your bank immediately using a trusted channel. Supply the destination details, transaction reference and messages, and ask about recovery.