Don't fall for this online scam; Vehicle sale fraud in name of soldiers

Wednesday 11 January, 2023 | 12:31 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Online money fraud is on the rise under the guise of selling vehicles of army officials, following the money scam that involved advertising that soldiers wanted houses on rent.

Scammers based in Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana are behind this online money fraud. These scammers advertise on websites like OLX after looking on Google and understanding the information of military centres.

'This is a 2001 model Honda Dio scooter. Good condition. It has run only 7000 km. The price is just 35,000 rupees. Selling this scooter at a reduced price as a soldier of the Pangod army camp got transferred to Kashmir. The scooter will be delivered to the home by Army Parcel Service,' one such ad read.

A lot of people have lost their money after getting deceived by such advertisements regarding the sale of soldiers' scooters, bullets and cars. The scammers will send army ID cards, pictures of the army parcel service centre, RC of vehicles etc on WhatsApp. People often pay money to fraudsters after getting attracted by the low prices. They don't understand that these ads are false.

The fraudsters will demand Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 to send the parcel. They'll also say that they'll return the money to the bank account if the buyer does not like the vehicle. They will send a receipt booked to send the parcel and a QR code in the name of Army Parcel Service to send money through Google Pay. The buyer will no longer be able to contact the scammer through the phone after the transaction goes through.

When the cyber police went to Rajasthan to nab the fraudsters, they were shocked to find that the owners of the mobile numbers and bank accounts used by the fraudsters were poor people who had no phone or account. Kerala Kaumudi had earlier reported the rental house scam in the name of soldiers.

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