If you have ever bought used products online, then there is a very high chance that you are already familiar with the variety of Olx scams going on. A platform created to buy or sell used products online has become a hub for online scams.
So If you are someone who unluckily got into a trap and had losses then don’t worry you are at the right place. In this article we will take a look at the following topics:
- Popular ways fraudsters are using to scam people.
- How to stay safe on OLX or from Olx scams
- How to resolve OLX scams if you got into one
Half of the problems can be solved just by staying conscious of what exactly you are doing. If you are aware of the right way to use a platform and the ways these fraudsters use to scam people then there is a very high chance that you will never get into these scams.
How people on OLX get scammed:
Fraudsters are always in search of new ways to scam people but here is a list of some of the most popular ways used by them:
Posing as defense personal: There are hundreds of complaints where the buyer or the seller claimed to be a defense personal and showcased fake ID proofs to gain trust. Lastly, they either asked for advance payments and never replied to the messages or used QR codes to cheat people.
QR code scams: Here people send QR codes claiming to give advance payments and ask the other person to scan a QR code in order to receive the payments but instead of crediting the amount, the amount gets debited.
OTP Scams: There are many cases reported where the fraudsters will first send a small amount of Rs.5 or Rs.10 to you to win your trust. Then they will send you a similar-looking request, which is in fact a payment collection request, and as soon as you share the OTP you will lose money. They will tell you that OTP is required to transfer a bigger amount in OLX.
Asking for advanced payments: Never pay a stranger online without surety. There could be a big chance that they will stop responding to your calls and messages once they receive the advance amount.
There could be hundreds of ways that these fraudsters are using but just knowing the basics will keep you safe. But there are people who wish to buy a used product online and just because there are scams going on doesn’t mean you will stop using OLX.
How to safely use OLX:
If you still wish to buy a used product online and shop from OLX then there are some rules that you always check before using the platform. Some of the most important regulations that you should use:
Prefer a physical meeting with the buyer/seller and exchange your product with money. Use safe public places to meet any stranger.
Avoid partial payments and pay only when you are fully sure of something. Be aware of the payment scams going on. A few of the payment scams were mentioned above in this article.
Check for the buyer’s/seller information on the internet, don’t randomly decide to buy from any person just because you are getting a good offer, it can be a trap.
Don’t get into the trap of offers that are too good to be true. If something looks fishy avoid it.
How to resolve OLX scams if you got into one:
No one knows when things will go bad, and if you unluckily got trapped into OLX scams then don’t worry we will tell you the possible ways to get out of it:
Option 1: Reach out to OLX
If you have got scammed then you should report the ad or the seller to OLX. Report the ad or the seller on the app or on the website. You should also consider writing an e-mail to safety@olx.in or call them on 9999140999.
Option 2: Send Legal Notice to OLX
Sometimes even after reporting a Seller or Ad, you will not get any help from OLX. In all those cases, you can start a social media campaign against OLX and can tweet on social media. If you still do not get any results then your best choice is to send a professionally drafted Legal Notice to OLX asking them to fix the issue, or you will sue them in court.
You may hire any professional advocate or lawyer on your behalf to draft & send this legal notice to the company. You can easily get an accomplished lawyer who will charge between Rs.3500 to Rs.8000 for legal notice on his letterhead. But if you are unable to find a competent lawyer in your budget then you can use Voxya to send the Legal Notice for just Rs.899 only.
Option 3: Reach out to the nearest legal authority
Because of the higher cyber crimes, all the police stations have cyber cells to catch the cybercriminals. You should reach out to the nearest police station and file a complaint.
The legal authorities can help you resolve the complaints and can save you from the losses that you may have to face.
Your savior in consumer complaints:
Voxya is an online consumer complaint forum. It enables the user to file consumer complaints against brands quickly. It helps the user in fighting against fraud and unresponsive customer service. Voxya is known for its quality services at reasonable pricing.
Voxya has handled more than 76,000 consumer complaints till now and consumers have claimed damages of around 2200 crores. This clearly shows the authority of Voxya in consumer complaints. You can resolve Olx scams complaint using Voxya an online consumer complaint platform.
The Final Conclusion!
Congratulations, you are safe now! Now that you know the whole story of the online scammers the probability of you getting scammed is already less now!
But if you have already got scammed then you know what exactly you have to do now. And no that you know the exact procedure, what are you waiting for? Resolve your complaints now!
