Warning: Beware of this ATM / GPay scam happening near Beach Station.
While I was returning home, a guy on a scooty stopped me. He said he desperately needed cash and asked if I could withdraw money from an ATM for him. He promised to instantly transfer the amount to my bank account via UPI.
The Red Flags:
- Invading Personal Space: He asked me to open GPay to check my balance. While the phone was still in my hand, he actually reached over and scrolled through it himself to see my balance. Then he weirdly questioned me about why I was showing him my balance.
- Dodging Questions: Whenever I asked him a logical question, he mumbled or didn't answer properly. The second he actually gave an answer, he would immediately fire another question at me to keep me confused and off-balance.
- The "Local" Card: He tried to build trust by saying he lives nearby in Mannady.
We went to the nearby Bank of Baroda (BOB) ATM just beside the subway. The plan was to use the UPI QR code withdrawal feature (where you scan the ATM screen and enter your PIN on your phone to dispense cash).
Suddenly, he pulled out a stack of ₹500 notes to show me he "had money," but then immediately initiated a withdrawal on the ATM for ₹10,000 and asked me to scan the QR code and enter my PIN to dispense the cash from my account.
That was the final straw. I stopped right there and confronted him: "If you already have a stack of cash right in your hand, why do I need to withdraw 10k from my account?"
He immediately got defensive and said, "I'm not going to cheat you," (in tamil) but I backed out and left.
Never open your payment apps in front of strangers, and never let them touch or look at your screen. The way he kept talking fast to confuse me is a classic scammer tactic so you don't have time to think.
Has anyone else experienced something similar in Chennai or run into this specific guy near Beach Station?