THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A new scam focusing on online taxi drivers has been reported in the city. Booking fake rides and promising to pay in advance, scammers send fraudulent messages mimicking that of banks and ask the drivers to pay back the money. A taxi driver from Karikkakom in Thiruvananthapuram has reported that he lost Rs 3,999 due to the scam.
Scammers will book a ride through a prominent ride-hailing app, claim that they are booking it for another person, and will promise to pay the amount before the ride itself. A fake message, similar to that sent from a bank, will also be sent to the driver’s mobile that a higher amount has been transacted to the driver’s account.
While no money gets transferred to the driver’s account, the fraudsters will ask the driver to send the extra money, excluding their driver fee, to be sent back through a QR code sent through WhatsApp.
As soon as the amount is sent, the money will be transferred to different bank accounts.
The issue came to the attention of authorities when the driver lodged a complaint with the National Cybercrime Registration Portal (NCRP).