Koraput: At a time when cases of cyber fraud through OLX are on the rise across India, exercising caution and practising safety tips during transactions remains a major challenge for the buyers. One Pulu Khara of Sorisapadara village under Pottangi police limits of the district, has paid a heavy price for trusting a seller registered with the online marketing website.
Reportedly, Pulu saw an advertisement on OLX India hosted by one Santosh Kumar Bhardwaj of Chhattisgarh. Santosh had listed a Maruti Suzuki Alto for Rs 55,000. Desperate to grab the Alto, Pulu contacted Santosh.
After a few phone calls and exchange of chats in WhatsApp, the deal was finalised at Rs 45K and Pulu made an online transfer of Rs 5000 as first installment to seal the deal.
This was followed by a deposit of another Rs 40,000 after Santosh inspired trust by sending pictures of the four-wheeler, along with his identity proof and other vehicle-related documents to Pulu.
However, a few days later Santosh again demanded Rs 29,000 citing is as the shipping charges of the four-wheeler from Chhattisgarh to Koraput. Even Pulu did not hesitate to transfer the said amount.
The victim then received a receipt reportedly from a transport company, which mentioned that the vehicle would be delivered by September 15. That seems to be the end of the story as Santosh's mobile has been switched off since then.
"First I deposited Rs 5,000 and then the rest amount was transferred in small amounts. He again demanded Rs 29,000 as transport charges. In total, I have sent Rs 74,700 to him. But I did not receive any vehicle," said Pulu.
Pulu alleged that when finally he rushed to Pottangi police station, they suggested him to lodge a complaint with Chhattisgarh police as the seller belonged to Jagdalpur area.
During preliminary investigation, it was found that he had received a duplicate receipt and the transport company mentioned is also fake.
Meanwhile cyber expert Sudhir Mishra said, "Both buyers and sellers should be responsible enough as the site has given them platform to facilitate buying or selling a product. However, it is also the responsibility of the website to verify the credentials of its members."