Posting an ad on Facebook costed Rs 1 lakh for this man.
Online scams have taken a rise since more people have started using the internet at its full potential. When this man was trying to sell his furniture online, he got cheated twice and lost Rs. 1 lakh. He got a call from the buyer and he wanted to pay via Paytm or Google Pay. Upon making the transaction, instead of receiving money, the seller sent the money instead. Here's what exactly happened.
A man from Thane, Mumbai posted an advertisement on Facebook for the furniture he wanted to sell. The scammer looking for ads on Facebook, Olx and Quicker arrived on this ad and found his target. Upon setting the potential target, he called up the person and asked about the product. Without even trying to bargain, he immediately accepted to send the requested amount.
However, he insisted on paying via online UPI methods like Paytm or Google Pay. The seller immediately agreed as he was excited to sell the product at the desired price. As he was pretending that the money is being sent, the scammer, instead of sending the money, requested for receiving the same amount.
Due to the lack of knowledge, the victim gave away the OTP and the amount got deducted from his account. The scammer then apologised saying it happened by mistake and he will immediately refund the amount. As the seller trusted him again, he again asked the victim to share the OTP and again got the same amount credited to his own account.
Using this method, the scammer got around Rs. 1.01 lakhs. He again suggested that he will refund the amount but at this point, the victim realised he has been scammed.
In order to stay away from such scams, it is highly recommended to never share any OTPs with strangers. Do note that sending money requires OTP but receiving money doesn't.
