Fraudsters using Armed Forces’ I-cards on OLX

PUNE: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials at the Pune airport, Lohegaon, have to deal with a different set of problems these days. For the last many days, people are turning up at the airport to see vehicles, phone, etc., which have been put up for sale on OLX purportedly by security forces personnel including Army, Navy, Air Force, SSB and even CISF officers. Police have clarified that people should not transfer money as these are fake posts on OLX. 

As per the information provided by the officials at Pune airport, “An online buyer contacted CISF at Pune airport asking about their inspector who wants to sell his scooter online claiming that it is at airport’s cargo. However several times, the CISF officials are fed up clarifying that no such inspector is working with them and that buyers should go to the police and file complaint against such fraudsters.”

“In a recent case, a week ago a person arrived at Pune airport and asked the CISF personnel with showing him an Army major’s identity card photo which he found on OLX. The person told the personnel that he is selling an SUV which is at the airport’s cargo and he has already paid Rs 10,000 to him,” said a source from Pune airport.

“Again after two days, another person came here asking for the same vehicle but this time he showed an ID of a commandant of SSB,” the source added. 

Lavanya Chandan, General Counsel, OLX India, said, “The safety of our users is of extreme importance to us. To ensure that our users transact safely, we invest heavily in sensitising them through various channels both on and off the platform. Specifically, we urge our users to avoid travelling to remote areas and exercise caution while placing reliance on identification cards as they could be fake.”

Chandan also added, “We have built strong relationships with law enforcement agencies and continuously assist them in bringing fraudsters to justice. I would like to urge users to exercise caution and practice safety tips for a great experience on OLX.”

225 OLX FRAUD CASES REPORTED IN 2018
Deputy Commissioner of Police Cyber Cell & EOW Jyotipriya Singh told Sakal Times that people should be cautious and should not pay money in advance. “No security person will put his identity card on OLX. The fraudsters are putting up fake identity cards to gain the trust of people and cheating. We have put up a notice board at the airport appealing people not to fall prey to such fraudsters. Total 225 OLX related fraud cases were reported to Pune city police in 2018, while this year there have been 55 cases. They include various kinds of frauds including of people duped by suspects who used security forces personnel’s identity cards.”