Although the heading says Ola Electric Scooter Scam, this has nothing to do with either the scooter or the company. With that clear, this is a scam that a gang operating pan Indian carried out. Ola Electric Scooters in India sells its e-scooters without a huge network of dealerships. Meaning most of the sales of the e-scooters are made online. This is what the scammers took advantage of. It is expected that scammers duped about 1000 people.
The Ola Electric Scooter Purchase Scam
According to the sources, it was investigated that 2 people from Bengaluru initiated the scam. The Delhi cyber crime police busted and arrested a gang of 20 that duped people through this scam. The individuals that carried out the scam were arrested from various parts of the country. As per the sources, these include Gurugram, Patna and Bengaluru.
The Scammers made an identical fake website of the Ola Electric company for the people looking to book their Ola Electric Scooters.
But later, on 7th October 2022, the Cyber Crime department received a duping case. The individuals targeted the people who wanted to buy or know more about the buying options of the electric scooter. As soon as the data of the potential buyers was logged, the two people in Bangalore shared the mobile numbers with the other gang members in various cities across the country.
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Then the gang members called to ask the victims to Transfer Rs. 499 as the booking amount for the electric scooter. Next, the scammers asked the customers for a deposit of Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 70,000 for the insurance and transportation charges. There also have been reports of scammers asking for Rs. 13,000 for delivery charges.
The Scam Was Exposed!
The person who filed the FIR was also looking to buy the Ola Electric Scooter. Initially, he downloaded the Ola application to learn the details about the e-scooter. But with no information about the finance of the e-scooter, as Ola doesn’t offer finance options. The internet was the only option to check out if there were any other buying options.
This is where he visited the fake website and gave out his contact credentials. First, after the call, the scammers asked for Rs. 499 for the booking. The victim paid the money via the PayU app, assuming it was legitimate. The following day, he got an email listing all the potential financing alternatives. Following the complainant’s selection of Ola Money, a payment link was created was directed to WhatsApp. The complainant made a down payment of Rs 30,000 following the financial plan. His sanctioned loan amount was 72,000 rupees. This was a ploy to make things seem real.
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After that, the victim was also asked to pay Rs. 13,000 further, which triggered his instincts of it being fake. When the victim realized what had transpired, he went to the cybercrime unit to file the FIR.
Save Yourself From the Scam
Now, as scammers who duped 1000 people in India have been arrested, the scam has been used. But this doesn’t mean we have to ease out. As technology is gaining pace, it is always a good idea to be vigilant. Meaning anyone can be scammed. So, to prevent online scams like this, it’s always a good idea to keep some things in mind.
- Browse Secure and Authorized Websites only
- Use and download verified applications only
- Be vigilant using your cars while making payments
- Always keep your device (Laptop, mobile phone, etc.) up to date.
- Never Share Sensitive personal information anywhere
- Do not respond to calls that ask for remote access to your device.
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So, these were the 6 basic things to always keep in mind, be vigilant, and save yourself from a potential cybercrime.
