OLX Scam: Bengaluru Teen Loses ₹90,000 in Sophisticated Cyber Fraud

A teenage girl was defrauded of ₹90,000 in Bengaluru while trying to sell books on OLX – a popular classifieds platform.

The 18-year-old, a resident of Sidedahalli, had posted an advertisement to sell the One Piece: East Blue book set (Volumes 4–9). A man, identifying himself as Ashok Agarwal, contacted her pretending to be a buyer and agreed to purchase the books for ₹1,500.

When he asked no questions about the books, the girl – who was selling something online for the first time – asked how he was ready to buy them without seeing them. Ashok confidently replied that he trusted her and would send someone to collect the books from her home. He also insisted on making the payment through a bank account instead of using any digital payment apps.

He then sent her a QR code, claiming it was for verification by scanning and receiving ₹1. The transaction failed initially, but her account was credited shortly after, which made her believe the process was genuine.

She then scanned another QR code meant to receive ₹1,500 for the books. However, this time, money was debited from her account.

When she raised an alarm, Ashok reassured her it was likely a technical issue. He sent another QR code, which she scanned using her mother’s digital payment app. This time, ₹4,500 was deducted. He continued to convince her that the deductions were due to technical glitches, leading to two more debits of ₹19,500 each. Finally, another ₹40,500 was withdrawn from her mother’s account.

At this point, the girl’s father intervened and confronted the caller over the phone. A police complaint was filed, and authorities swiftly froze Ashok’s account to prevent further loss.

The incident, which occurred on June 15, is yet another reminder of the growing sophistication of cyber frauds. Anyone can fall victim. It is, therefore, crucial to stay alert and exercise caution when engaging in online transactions to avoid being scammed.