Bhubaneswar: Not following safety instructions on online transactions can lead you into trouble. A man from Koraput found it the hard way after paying a heavy price for trusting a seller on OLX.
Pulu Khara of Sorisapadara near Pottangi reportedly saw an ad for a Maruti Suzuki Alto on OLX India. The ad was hosted by one Santosh Kumar Bhardwaj of Chhattisgarh. Pulu contacted Santosh, who sent him the car’s details and photographs.
The deal was finalised at Rs 45,000. Desperate to grab the offer, Pulu made an online transfer of Rs 5000 as advance to reserve the car.
Santosh gained Pulu’s trust by sending him ID photos and vehicle documents. This made Pulu transfer another Rs 40,000.
After a few days, Santosh asked for Rs 29,000 as shipping charges of the vehicle from Chhattisgarh to Koraput. The unsuspecting Pulu transferred another Rs 29,000 as well.
Santosh sent him him a receipt of a transport company which mentioned that the car would reach by September 15. Thereafter, Santosh’s mobile has been switched off.
The receipt received is also fake, a preliminary investigation by police has revealed.
How To Avoid Such A Trap?
Online classified sites such as OLX and Quikr are different from e-commerce websites. The sites are not responsible for the listings, neither for the product nor for the delivery. The buyer and seller are cautioned by such sites to meet properly at a public place, verify the product and then pay. The sites warn against paying in advance.
This is what OLX has to say about safety:
