Everyday we read this news. In newspapers and on online news portals. About people always being cheated on OLX while trying to sell their goods. I have a first hand experience of their modus operandi and I would like to share it here so that it will give people an idea of the way the things happen and take due care. Please be aware and please share this with your friends and family and save them from those thieves.
This happened about a year ago when I wanted to sell my dining table. Earlier, a few years ago when OLX was new, I had made some transactions and so I thought of going there again.
No sooner did I post my ad, the phone calls started pouring in. Thick and fast. Seriously. It must have been hardly a few minutes since I posted the ad and my phone did not stop ringing.
Initially though I felt happy, I started to feel that there is something fishy.
Agreed that there will be no shortage of sellers and buyers for anything, anywhere and at anytime. But there will be a reasonable time and number of enquiries you expect. Here within minutes calls poured in. I will explain you the reason of this urgency on their part later. Please read on...
The calls I received were mostly from Hindi speaking persons. And they were willing to pay me the price I had asked. Without even asking any further details. After just seeing one or two photos I had posted.
A few did bargain but not very much. One person said he would come and collect the table immediately and would first like to make the payment. Then and there. Without even checking my table.
Since I was busy with some work at home, I told him that I would call him back and hung up. This became the scene with another two three persons.
And then I got a call from this person. He was in such a hurry that even when I told him that I was busy, he would not listen. He continued to call. Exasperated, I told him I won't reduce my price even by a rupee. He agreed!
He then told me that since he was outside, he would make the payment and his wife would come and collect the table. It was already 4 PM. When I asked him where his wife is, he told the address of a place which is very far off from the place where I stay.
I started wondering. I asked him how would she be able to come so far with a vehicle at such time. His answer was a bit evasive.Then he told me that he would like to pay me online. That he would send me the money immediately.
At first I demanded cash. To which he requested that since he was far off, his wife won't be able to pay the cash.
I said I would think about it but he kept calling.This strengthened my suspicion that there was something amiss.He insisted that he would test transfer some money and asked me to verify if it's received.
I said ok and asked him to send ten rupees through Paytm. He sent one rupee. I confirmed that I had received the money and asked him to transfer the full amount. He sent me a photo of a QR code.
Though I keep myself updated with the technology, I was not aware of that feature of Paytm which had been just then released.To get money transferred to your account by sharing your QR code.
For me the logic was simple. While shopping, I had to pay to the shop keeper so he shares his QR code and I scan it and pay. Here if anyone needs to scan the code it has to be the other person and not me.
When he called immediately and asked me to scan it, I refused. I put across the same logic and refused to scan it. In all innocence I asked him as to why I should scan it since I am the one who is supposed to receive the money. I suggested him to transfer it by using my mobile number.
As this argument was going on, as the time was passing he started to get agitated and I refused to budge. Then he put forth a new excuse. That he is working in army and that he is not supposed to transfer the money to anyone using their phone number! I knew he was losing his plot and I had actually started enjoying it and decided to play it along!!!
He started shouting at me to scan the code immediately. But I kept on asking why should I scan when he is the one who has to send me the money.
Finally quite irritated he started abusing me. He even asked me " Arrey auntie, kya aap itna bhi pade likhe nahi ho kya? Itne batane ke baad bhi wohi bol rahe ho? ( " Are you such an illiterate that you are not able to understand what I am saying? " )
Now totally convinced that he is upto some mischief I firmly told him that I would accept his money and sell him the table only if he pays to me through my mobile number. Uttering some expletives he hung up!!!
Later when I told my daughter about all this exchange of words, she was so happy and relieved because just on the previous day, a colleague of hers and her husband had lost their money to such fraudsters exactly in such a similar transaction.
Their modus operandi is similar. They would send the Q R code and the moment you scan it, they will draw the money from your account. When you call them back to tell that you haven't received the money, they would send the code once again, would ask you to scan it once again and would steal your money once again.
The cause of their hurry is because of two reasons. First, it's kind of first come first serve or rather first catch and first steal policy! Out there, there are hundreds of such fraudsters who would be waiting for someone to post an ad. They will rush to you immediately and whoever is able to catch hold of you and convince you first will be able to loot you first.
Another reason is after about half an hour of your posting the ad, you will start getting alert messages from OLX to be aware of such elements and asking you this exercise your caution while making the transactions.
May be because of thousands of such regular complaints, OLX has resorted to sharing such alert messages and the fraudsters are also aware of this and hence the hurry.
I wish the OLX would make amends to give such alert messages the moment you post your ad. However, since I had the number of the fraudster who was calling me, I immediately registered a complaint with OLX and got a confirmatory mail from that they have blocked him.
But alas these thugs will definitely have many more numbers and many more ways to cheat people.
The best way would be to exercise caution and alert people and make them more aware.
I have written this detailed post to caution you and would request you to share this widely with your friends and your family. Help people to save their hard earned money.
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