'I sent it by mistake, send it back': a shop rule for InstaPay

If you run a phone shop, you have probably had this call, or you will: someone says 'I transferred you money on InstaPay by mistake, please send it back now.' They sound rushed. Maybe they say it was for medical bills or rent. This article is not only about the trick. It is about a written procedure that everyone at the counter follows, so nobody makes a decision alone under pressure.

How the trick works

This is an example scenario to show the pattern, not a specific case:

• It is 4 pm and the shop is busy. A new employee picks up the shop phone.
• The caller says he sent 8,000 EGP to the shop's number by mistake and needs it back right away.
• He sends a screenshot, or says 'check your messages.' He keeps repeating that it is urgent.
• The employee wants to be honest and sends the amount to the number the caller gave. Then it turns out the original transfer never happened.

The fraudster does not hack anything. He gets you to do the work. That matches what InstaPay warns about: in four tricks that work without technically breaking into the app, the process starts when the fraudster fools the user into handing over secret data or making the transaction himself.

The trick is not new. Al-Watan published a warning about returning mistakenly transferred money on InstaPay, calling it a new form of fraud and quoting lawyer Ehab Ali.

What InstaPay says

According to InstaPay's warning as reported by Al-Watan about 3 weeks ago:

• Do not deal with any unexpected transfer before confirming the details of the operation.
• Do not take any step based on a call or message from an unknown person.
• Step 1: Do not make a reverse transfer just because someone called you. Review the operation first from inside your own app and check the amount and the transaction details.
• Step 2: Do not give any bank details under the pretext of recovering money.

Why a phone shop is a target

Your shop takes many payments from people you do not know, and the amounts are large. According to Al Khaleej, the cheapest phone in Egypt costs about 7,000 EGP (as of October 2026), and phone prices have risen 55% since the start of 2026. Masrawy reports that some models rose by up to 78% during 2026. The two figures come from different sources and may measure different models or periods, so do not combine them. The point is that a mistaken transfer in your shop is usually worth thousands, and one wrong refund can wipe out several days of profit.

Al Khaleej also reported a 20% drop in sales and a shortage of supply. Every pound that comes in is worth more now, so it should not leak out through a phone call.

The written procedure

These steps are my organizational suggestion, not something from the sources. Post them next to the counter and have every new employee read them.

1. Nobody at the counter refunds any amount. No matter the situation or the pressure. The decision belongs to the owner or one named person.
2. A ready sentence for the employee: 'Send me your number, and the manager will check the transaction and call you back.' Say it and hang up.
3. Check inside the app. The owner opens InstaPay personally and looks: is there a transfer at all? What amount? What are the transaction details? Do not rely on a screenshot, a message or what the caller says.
4. Log the incident in a notebook or file: the caller's number, the time, the amount he claims, the transaction reference if any, and the employee who answered.
5. If the transfer really exists: do not refund it by phone or to a number someone gives you. Contact your bank or InstaPay's official channels. Youm7 published steps for recovering money transferred by mistake in November 2025. Read it and confirm with your bank, because I have not verified the time frame or the exact process.

If the amount is large and the dispute drags on, talk to a lawyer. I found no source on the legal position of someone who refunds a fraudster, or of someone who keeps money that really was sent to them by mistake.

Quick table for staff

What nobody gets, ever

InstaPay warns against any call or message asking for personal or banking data, especially card details, passwords and OTP codes. This is in its warning about the 'you have a shipment on the way' trick.

Put this list in writing for staff:

• The OTP code: to anyone, even if they say they are from the bank or InstaPay.
• The password or PIN.
• Card number, expiry date and CVV.
• Any banking details under the pretext of 'recovering funds'.

One simple point: InstaPay has warned that the app has no points programs or rewards. So anyone calling to say 'you won points' or 'you have a reward' is lying.

Thursdays and app maintenance

Al-Watan reports that transfers are unavailable during certain update windows, usually on Thursdays each week. I did not verify the exact time, so ask your bank or check the app's announcements and note the window.

This part is my opinion, not from the source: if a customer says 'the transfer is delayed, just wait,' let him wait. Do not hand over the device or count the payment as done until you see it in your own app.

End-of-day check

Before you close, compare the digital payments recorded in your notebook or system against the statement in the app. Anything missing from the app is not paid, even if there is a screenshot. Any transfer that appears in the app with no matching sale goes into the incident log and gets reviewed before anyone asks for it back.

As for Vodafone Cash: I found no official source on a similar trick, and we cannot assume InstaPay's rules apply to it. Ask Vodafone for the official process, and apply the same internal rule: nobody at the counter refunds money.

What to do today

1. Print the ready sentence and the staff table and post them next to the counter.
2. Spend 10 minutes with the team agreeing who reviews refund requests and what their number is.
3. Start an incident log with the columns above.
4. Find out InstaPay's weekly maintenance window and mark it.
5. Read InstaPay's full warning.