Udupi
Despite recent warnings to speak in Kannada when dealing with unknown callers to avoid online fraud, a resident of Katapady was targeted by a fraudster who spoke to him in Kannada.
Chandra Poojary, President of the Truck and Tempo Owners’ Association of Katapady, received a call from someone claiming to be a lawyer. The caller alleged that Chandra’s loan installment was overdue and that a case had been filed against him, requiring him to attend court. Pressuring Chandra, the caller instructed him to make the payment through Google Pay to the number 8792701216, which showed as Naga R on the True Caller app.
The caller then transferred Chandra to another individual posing as the loan Manager, who claimed there was a technical issue preventing automatic deduction and urged immediate payment via Google Pay.
Chandra, realizing the potential scam, responded that he did not have any pending loans and asked for the office location in Udupi. The caller hesitated and abruptly ended the call, promising to send the location but never did.
Chandra then contacted his vehicle loan provider, who confirmed that no such call had been made and that his loan payments were current. Reflecting on the incident, Chandra stated, ‘Had I fallen for their pressure and paid through Google Pay, I would have lost money. Fortunately, I was alert and avoided the scam.’
