Bengaluru Woman Outsmarts Fake Payment Scam by Ola Driver

A woman from Bengaluru recently took to Reddit to narrate her ordeal of escaping a fake payment scam by an Ola driver.

Reddit user @Whyshnahwe described encountering a driver who allegedly tried to scam them with a fake payment screenshot. The post highlights the importance of passengers being vigilant when using ride-sharing services and following established payment procedures.

In her Reddit post, the woman explained that she was planning to attend training classes in Wilson Garden. She booked an Ola cab for the trip and decided to pay in cash.

Rare W.
byu/Whyshnahwe inbangalore

“The trip was uneventful. At the end of the trip, the driver took their cell phone out of the side holder. They were busy grabbing my bag,” she said. “After a minute, they said ‘Madam, amount 749 aagidhe’ (Madam, the rate is 749)” and showed me their phone.

To her surprise, the rate quoted was significantly higher than the approximately ₹254 she had confirmed on the app.

“I told them about it, and they were surprised too. They thought it might be because of the charges related to Ola’s money,” she continued. “They told me to pay them the 749 rupees and then complain on the app,”

At this point, she asked to check the driver’s phone herself. “I noticed the Ola app was still running in the background (you know, the little circular logo on the side of the screen). I confirmed that it was not the real amount and it showed me a random screenshot,” she explained. “I didn’t say a single word. I just pressed the logo and opened the app. I saw they hadn’t finished the trip yet.”

Despite the driver’s actions, the woman remained alert, recognized the situation, and endured.

“I asked if I could look again. This time, they didn’t give me the phone, they just showed it to me. I quickly slid the red ‘End of Journey’ bar at the bottom of the app and said, ‘Hinging maadodhu alva, sir?’ (This is how we end, right, sir?)”

Her message quickly caught the attention of internet users. Netizens praised the woman for her quick thinking.

One user noted: “Scams like this are becoming more sophisticated. It is commendable that you did not give in and thank you for sharing your experience. I am impressed by the driver’s ingenuity in coming up with these types of scams.

One user wrote: “Scams evolve. Well, you didn’t fall into the trap and thanks for sharing. I am impressed by the driver’s ability to imagine these scams.

Another user wrote: “I fell in love with this yesterday. The driver showed me that his bill was 1946, but my super receipt said 678. I had to pay him because I was making a scene and I had my sick relative with me.

“This is an ongoing fraud. Please be aware and always check your screen after the trip is over. Please continue taking necessary screenshots or photographs of the driver’s details,” the third user commented.

Another user shared: “Yesterday I was the victim of a similar scam. The driver insisted his bill was from 1946 even though my Uber receipt showed 678. I had to pay him when he made a scene and I had my sick relative with me.