Fraud Alert: Scammers now targeting victims in Kannada

Katapady: The belief that responding in Kannada can protect against online scams has been proven false after a recent incident in Katapady. A local resident, who is also the president of the Building Materials Transport Lorry Tempo Owners’ Association, was targeted by a scammer who communicated in Kannada.

Chandra Poojary, the victim, received a call from someone posing as a lawyer, claiming that his vehicle loan installment was overdue and that a court case had been filed. The caller pressured him to immediately pay the overdue amount via Google Pay. The call originated from the number 8792701216, identified as “Naga R.” on Truecaller.

The scammer, speaking aggressively, threatened Chandra with court action, even transferring the call to another person claiming to be the loan manager. This second individual insisted that due to a technical issue, the installment could not be automatically deducted from his account and demanded immediate payment via Google Pay.

Sensing the scam, Chandra questioned the caller about the loan details and asked for the location of their office in Udupi. The scammer hesitated and eventually disconnected the call, promising to send the location later.

Chandra later contacted the financial institution that provided the vehicle loan, only to be informed that no such call was made by them and that his loan payments were up to date.

“If I had succumbed to the pressure and made the payment via Google Pay, I would have fallen victim to the scam. Fortunately, I remained cautious, thanks to warnings issued by the Udayavani newspaper about such scams,” said Chandra in a statement to Udayavani.