Scammer Targets Unacademy VP in Bengaluru with Fake UPI Transfer for iPad Purchase. A senior vice president at Unacademy in Bengaluru fell victim to a fake UPI money transfer scam orchestrated by a scammer posing as a buyer on OLX. Hardik Pandya shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), where the scammer, using the alias “Dilip Vikas,” engaged Pandya on WhatsApp after showing interest in purchasing an iPad listed on OLX.
The scammer initially promised immediate payment and sent fake screenshots of a transfer exceeding the agreed amount, asking Pandya to return the excess ₹10,000. However, Pandya discovered that he had only received a Re 1 transaction, likely used for account verification, exposing the scam.
Pandya posted about the scam on X, along with screenshots, and highlighted the fake transfer attempt. In a subsequent tweet, he noted the humorous aspect of the manually sent imitation transaction messages by the scammer.
The post quickly gained traction, with many users praising Pandya’s quick thinking and sharing their own experiences with similar scams on OLX.
One user mentioned the prevalence of scams on OLX, including people posing as army officers, while another highlighted how scammers pressure sellers to delete ads and then fail to follow through on purchases.
Another user shared a common tactic used by scammers involving QR codes and fake promises of instant money transfers.
Overall, the incident sheds light on the persistence of online scams and the importance of vigilance when conducting transactions on platforms like OLX.