Are you a dog lover? If the answer is yes, then almost any post about dogs on the internet will surely attract you the most. During the lockdown, as people were finding new ways to spend time, animal lovers started to adopt pets to pass their time. As time went by, the social media presence of cats and dogs actually increased than humans. The owners shared each and every minute of their pets through social media profiles made entirely for their pets. In no time, it became almost a trend to adopt any animal and click photos with it for Instagram on daily basis. Eventually, as demand for pet adoption increased on online platforms, scammers took serious advantages to make money out of it.

Fell into the trap while looking for a pup

Riddhi was looking for a pet for adoption through Facebook groups when she came across Ravi, who claimed to have a Golden Retriever pup for adoption. Instead of asking for any price, Ravi insisted Riddhi, pay only for the transportation in order to take ownership of the dog. Ravi claimed to be working in Wipro, Hyderabad, and currently lives near Secunderabad. He asked her to pay INR 3000/- in advance so that he can make the arrangements for the pup to be delivered. After transferring the full amount through UPI, Riddhi asked him to inform the status. Ravi started to make excuses like he was in office, sometimes at the party, sometimes showing excuses for lack of transportation. This went on for a long time until Ravi blocked her out from both Whatsapp and Facebook. Riddhi was tricked in the first place, to believe that the pup was real by watching an internet downloaded video sent by the scammer. She had no option left other than posting her bad experience on social media.

How to stay safe from fake sellers on social media? 

1. Make sure to check the cat/dog through a video call to ensure that the seller is not trying to cheat you. 

2. Pay with Vouch, it releases your payment after the delivery of the products, better than UPI apps.

3. Make sure to record a video after you have received what you have ordered so that any dispute can be resolved easily.

4. Try to find sellers through recommendations from your contact or check for positive reviews on their social media pages.

What is a digital escrow?

Digital Escrow is the use of a third party account, during a transaction, which holds the money deposited by the person who is purchasing any product/service until the seller fulfills the terms of the agreement. The transacting parties are supervised by the escrow company.

How does Digital Escrow save you from online frauds in India?

Vouch’s Digital Escrow service is a transparent way for buyers and sellers to build trust and secure a clean transfer of product and payment. Buyers can feel assured that they will be fairly compensated in a timely manner, and buyers will feel confident that their order will be delivered as expected and on schedule. If you ever come across a fraudster asking for OTP, asking you to scan a QR code, or asking you to click on phishing links, you can simply say no and ask him/her to proceed with the transaction through Vouch.

Vouch Digital Escrow uses a non-interest-bearing escrow account for all transactions in India and keeps you updated and informed at every step of the transaction process till the end. Vouch’s professionals are always available to assist you with all queries that you may have during the entire transaction process. There is no scope for deceit or fraud since the payments, shipping, delivery, and execution are carried out under the honest and watchful eyes of the Vouch’s professionals. With Vouch, any business transaction becomes transparent, uncomplicated, and hassle-free.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is Fraud Story #50. Check back here for more fraud chronicles and scams that you can protect yourself from.

Safety is not just about protecting your credit or debit card number. It's about having control of your money till you've delivered the product or service you contracted to! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about how to avoid frauds like these. Do you have a fraud that you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com