Dealing with cheat/thief claiming to be a dealer from Bangalore

Dear Fellow Audiophiles

I would like to share with you a very horrible experience that I have been going through since the 13th of July. Im from Mumbai and was interested in purchasing an Oppo 205 BR player since some time and once I heard production will cease I sped up my search to buy one from any source in India. After calls to local dealers and getting an “out of stock” response I came across Mr A’s ad on OLX for sale of a brand new Oppo 205. I got in touch with him right away and spoke on the phone and finalized the price. At that time he said delivery would take a max of 10 days from his location in Bangalore to his friend’s aprt in Mumbai and I would have to pay 50% advance (bank transfer to A) and balance 50% to his friend once I collected the player. Till that point everything seemed fine and good.
Then after a few days I received a phone call from him requesting me to send another 25K claiming that someone was in the hospital and he needed money desperately. (Later on he changed this story to claiming that he needed funds bcuz of the flood damage in Kerala). I sent the money right away not suspecting any foul play at the time (we had a talk on the phone regarding UPS’s so he seemed genuine at the time). This was about a week after I made the advance payment.
In the meanwhile I had been asking him again and again about the status of the delivery and I was given the below reasons for the delay
  • Octroi issues
  • Courier delays
  • More delays with vague reasoning
  • Shipment was stopped and he had to goto some location to pass it
  • Shipment had arrived in his friend’s house where I was supposed to pick it up but his friend refused to respond and apparently kept it for himself and now has disappeared from the picture
  • He claims he has found another dealer in Bbay who can deliver to me but who cannot communicate in Hindi or English and will get in touch with me and deliver once he will be paid in full or if Mr A sent him a replacement player

Everything might seem confusing for the layman but this is how his method of cheating is. All his answers are vague and never to the point. Mind you after a month I asked him nicely to refund all my money and once he would deliver I would pay him in full but so far he has been giving more excuses for this too
  • He has no money due to flooding in kerala
  • He is waiting for salary to come
  • He is waiting for money to clear in his account which was transferred by someone abroad
  • He is waiting for money to come in from other sources

As of now it has been over 100 days and not one word out of his mouth has come true. He refuses to return the money and refuses to deliver the product always giving nonsense vague reasons which by now are clearly lies. The reason for me to write this post was to warn any and every one about this crook and thief and liar who has cheated me off my hard earned money. Due to my mistakes I have no details of this cheat except his Bank A/C No, his phone contact and his WhatsApp profile picture and I will share the same with you all once I have the go ahead from the moderators todo so. This way everyone knows exactly who I am talking about. I have my Whatspp history and SMS convs to prove that im right in case anyone has any doubts and so everyone can view this crooks MO. Before posting this I had warned him twice that this would happen but being a crook a thief and a liar he has not bothered about it. I don’t expect to have my money refunded as I don’t know how to pursue this further and any suggestions from anyone on this forum are welcome. Hoping this post helps someone to be more careful in the future and not to make the same mistakes as I have made. Before posting this I had called him but no response.

Thanking you for listening

Vishal

Below are the whatsapp and SMS exchanges between me and him



Hi

Thanks for sharing your experience which is unfortunate....OLX has been a nice platform which has unfortunately taken a nasty turn over the past 2-3 years.....that does not mean there are no legitimate normal good sellers......you may find a lot of dealers or scamsters posting ads....

The best way to check before falling prey is to for example put the location filter as India......and do a search on the product name "Oppo 205"

All ads which are Oppo 205 will pop up on the screen and then you can notice if there is a scamster as he will use the SAME images for the ads but locations and pricing will differ.....

Thumb Rule:

  • AVOID using the OLX app as you have limited functionality and viewing capability.
  • Access OLX using a Laptop / Desktop and message the potential seller.
  • If he responds, ask all questions...never share your mobile number just yet.
  • Agree on his price and as much as possible, try to do a cash and carry deal...atleast you can see/hear the product.
  • When going to finalise / close the deal to the sellers place, take someone with you and keep informed some relatives and friends..
  • With TruCaller and other tools, you can check the address and number where possible.
  • If you are not based in the same city, ask a friend based in that location to help you close this deal.
  • If cash is an issue, you can always do a IMPS transfer of funds once the deal is set and all is checked (Tested).
  • As much as possible, keep messaging using OLX platform so that there is documented evidence of dealing with the person.
  • Also Whatsapp the same discussion so that if required, there is enough proof over OLX platform and Whatsapp for Cyber Police and other authorities to see the evidence and make the culprit pay.
  • Once the deal is closed, whatsapp has the ability to mail / save the chat...it helps.
We have some forum members selling Oppo here on HFV and even i seem some forum members ads over olx (as they have uploaded the same images with user name and date).

I purchased recently a BDP 103 from Bengaluru, I requested a favour from my friend (Forum Member) who did the needful of checking everything and even arranging to courier the same to me. The funds were transferred within 5 mins (Thru IMPS)...bottom line a good deal and all happy as it was a win win situation for all of us.

Be careful in future dealings....never rush.....NEVER JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER!
 
Hi

Thanks for sharing your experience which is unfortunate....OLX has been a nice platform which has unfortunately taken a nasty turn over the past 2-3 years.....that does not mean there are no legitimate normal good sellers......you may find a lot of dealers or scamsters posting ads....

The best way to check before falling prey is to for example put the location filter as India......and do a search on the product name "Oppo 205"

All ads which are Oppo 205 will pop up on the screen and then you can notice if there is a scamster as he will use the SAME images for the ads but locations and pricing will differ.....

Thumb Rule:

  • AVOID using the OLX app as you have limited functionality and viewing capability.
  • Access OLX using a Laptop / Desktop and message the potential seller.
  • If he responds, ask all questions...never share your mobile number just yet.
  • Agree on his price and as much as possible, try to do a cash and carry deal...atleast you can see/hear the product.
  • When going to finalise / close the deal to the sellers place, take someone with you and keep informed some relatives and friends..
  • With TruCaller and other tools, you can check the address and number where possible.
  • If you are not based in the same city, ask a friend based in that location to help you close this deal.
  • If cash is an issue, you can always do a IMPS transfer of funds once the deal is set and all is checked (Tested).
  • As much as possible, keep messaging using OLX platform so that there is documented evidence of dealing with the person.
  • Also Whatsapp the same discussion so that if required, there is enough proof over OLX platform and Whatsapp for Cyber Police and other authorities to see the evidence and make the culprit pay.
  • Once the deal is closed, whatsapp has the ability to mail / save the chat...it helps.
We have some forum members selling Oppo here on HFV and even i seem some forum members ads over olx (as they have uploaded the same images with user name and date).

I purchased recently a BDP 103 from Bengaluru, I requested a favour from my friend (Forum Member) who did the needful of checking everything and even arranging to courier the same to me. The funds were transferred within 5 mins (Thru IMPS)...bottom line a good deal and all happy as it was a win win situation for all of us.

Be careful in future dealings....never rush.....NEVER JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE COVER!
You make good points and thank you for that. Some of us wernt that lucky. My post was to highlight and warn about the issue that there are cheats and crooks out there who take advantage and hence one has to be extra careful all the time.
 
Hi, reference to your whatsapp chats and bank transfer details, you can definitely put a civil suit against him in local district court, also complaint in cyber crime. Cyber cell is very strict they will definitely take action against him.
 
Hi, reference to your whatsapp chats and bank transfer details, you can definitely put a civil suit against him in local district court, also complaint in cyber crime. Cyber cell is very strict they will definitely take action against him.
Thanks. All this is very helpful from you guys. I will look up the cyber cell at the earliest.
 
Their comfort lies in knowing that you can't reach them, everything happens on phone hence they think when they stop taking your calls it's over for you and them.

The best and fastest way is to get someone from authorities like Police call him up and jolt him good.

A few straight and stern words from someone from authorities can straighten it. This kind of people are not hardcore criminals or seasoned crooks. So they can be tamed by this way easily.

Hope this helps.
 
Their comfort lies in knowing that you can't reach them, everything happens on phone hence they think when they stop taking your calls it's over for you and them.

The best and fastest way is to get someone from authorities like Police call him up and jolt him good.

A few straight and stern words from someone from authorities can straighten it. This kind of people are not hardcore criminals or seasoned crooks. So they can be tamed by this way easily.

Hope this helps.
Yes what you said is true. Will try to get in touch with the local authorities to do as you suggested though havent done this before so have no idea what to expect.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience on the forum.
These are wake up calls to be extremely wary when dealing with faceless sellers on the blind and on total faith
 
Im happy to share so anyone going forward can learn from my mistakes and very thankful for all the support and suggestions.
 
Sorry to hear about your case. I feel you need to lodge a complaint about this Seller with Olx and the Police right away. Waiting 100 days was unnecessary. You need to act fast.

Olx has always been a suspicious place to buy or sell things. I've got my AV receiver listed there. The people you deal with are absolute third rate. There are no manners or etiquette of any kind to the point that I am scared to sell anything on there anymore for fear of who might show up at home, when they come to inspect/buy the product you are selling.
 
sell and buy locally ...same city or same region ..like NCR , Mumbai- Pune etc ..that way u can meet the buyer/seller and when you initiate the conversation ...u come to know many things
 
Sorry to hear about your case. I feel you need to lodge a complaint about this Seller with Olx and the Police right away. Waiting 100 days was unnecessary. You need to act fast.

Olx has always been a suspicious place to buy or sell things. I've got my AV receiver listed there. The people you deal with are absolute third rate. There are no manners or etiquette of any kind to the point that I am scared to sell anything on there anymore for fear of who might show up at home, when they come to inspect/buy the product you are selling.

Yes i have approached the local Police. Lets see how much will it help. They were a bit hesitant at first due to a lack of physical address from the seller and no invoices. They have accepted my paperwork that i submitted and will look into it. Hoping for the best. And yes now i hindsight i needed to act fast but its done now. Will learn from it.

sell and buy locally ...same city or same region ..like NCR , Mumbai- Pune etc ..that way u can meet the buyer/seller and when you initiate the conversation ...u come to know many things

Yes all good points. Have learned a lot from this experience.

Just wanted to post an update and some more info about the cheat.
Spoke to the local Police here in Mumbai. Not sure how they will proceed with this case but have been following up with them. As of now im trying to keep everyone here updated with as many details i have of this fraud so you guys can be careful. So far i have his contacts details and his Bank A/C Number and two profile pictures from Whatsapp
Mobile Number 1 - +91 93497 79812 Mobile Number 2 - +91 94461 17398 Mobile Number 3 - +91 70129 01538
Bank A/C for UPI - arunkumark.akk@okhdfcbank​

Once again thank you guys for your advice/suggestions.
 

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I too have had problems with this guy. I have dealt with him a few times before. But same story. Takes money and is missing for months. After I bought and sold a few items from him, I dealt a bigger deal with this guy. Now, I have been stuck from 6 months, trying to recover money from him. He comes up amazing stories of what he will do to settle.
Please beware of Arun Kumar K.
Please do not engage with this person.
His original address is Haripad, kerala. Stays somewhere near electronic city, Bangalore ( Which is only from the last 6-12 months ).

Nalin
Bangalore
 
I too have had problems with this guy. I have dealt with him a few times before. But same story. Takes money and is missing for months. After I bought and sold a few items from him, I dealt a bigger deal with this guy. Now, I have been stuck from 6 months, trying to recover money from him. He comes up amazing stories of what he will do to settle.
Please beware of Arun Kumar K.
Please do not engage with this person.
His original address is Haripad, kerala. Stays somewhere near electronic city, Bangalore ( Which is only from the last 6-12 months ).

Nalin
Bangalore

Hi Nalin

Thank you for sharing. Hope you take necessary steps to recover what is yours.

Vishal
 
Just wanted to post an update and some more info about the cheat.
Spoke to the local Police here in Mumbai. Not sure how they will proceed with this case but have been following up with them. As of now im trying to keep everyone here updated with as many details i have of this fraud so you guys can be careful. So far i have his contacts details and his Bank A/C Number and two profile pictures from Whatsapp
Mobile Number 1 - +91 93497 79812 Mobile Number 2 - +91 94461 17398 Mobile Number 3 - +91 70129 01538
Bank A/C for UPI - arunkumark.akk@okhdfcbank​

Once again thank you guys for your advice/suggestions.
Thank God I didn't contact this guy to buy anything. Once he bought Klipsch Promedia from me. Then he asked me to contact him for any high-end speakers. His number is still in my contact list. Yes he keeps visiting Bangalore for some reason.
 
Even i came across an offer in quickr last year. The deal was 40k for denon 4400 box piece. I was like omg 40k for 4400 right? I contacted the person and he said they have a shop in Nagur and they deliver all across india. He also gave me a link to their shop website which even had customer support and was responsive to the chat messages. I was super excited as all looked legit. Then i asked if COD is available. There ended my excitement of getting a denon 4400 for 40k. He said only after payment they will deliver the product in 2 days. I immediately said sorry wont work for me. He called me immediately and said sir make 50% payment and remaining on delivery. I didnt proceed. After few months the number was not valid . And the shop website also doesnt exist anymore. Checked in FB and the seller had a page for his shop where all comments stated they took 50% payment and waiting for more then months for the product to be delivered and non of the contact numbers are working. Advance payment works only with authorized dealers. Hope the cops help you in getting your money back
 
Even i came across an offer in quickr last year. The deal was 40k for denon 4400 box piece. I was like omg 40k for 4400 right? I contacted the person and he said they have a shop in Nagur and they deliver all across india. He also gave me a link to their shop website which even had customer support and was responsive to the chat messages. I was super excited as all looked legit. Then i asked if COD is available. There ended my excitement of getting a denon 4400 for 40k. He said only after payment they will deliver the product in 2 days. I immediately said sorry wont work for me. He called me immediately and said sir make 50% payment and remaining on delivery. I didnt proceed. After few months the number was not valid . And the shop website also doesnt exist anymore. Checked in FB and the seller had a page for his shop where all comments stated they took 50% payment and waiting for more then months for the product to be delivered and non of the contact numbers are working. Advance payment works only with authorized dealers. Hope the cops help you in getting your money back

Yes i hope so too.
 
Hi, you need to be top on this by every possible means. I have something to share.

1. Did you try to escalate it OLX to receive his contact details. I assume he would have faked up all the details but we should be able to track his ip address used for posting the ad by involving cyber crime (for posting and deleting of ad). It may not work out now but its worth trying.

2. Did you approach your bank to explain and seek advise on how best this can be handled? They would have dealt and be aware of all kinds of fraud and be in a position to at least guide you or there may be possibility that bank might take ownership of the issue based on your complaint that it is a fraud payment.

3. Did you get in touch with the bank of the cheat for details and complaint? (since you have his account number).

4. Hatch a plan to trap him by putting ads similar to his and engage into a conversation where you need his help in selling some of the stuff from other countries. Just drop him a msg in inbox and be quiet and if he's craze of money am sure he will reply back (track every detail).

You have to be hard on this. I doubt just an FIR complaint can make progress on this, fingers crossed but if you go to cyber crime or OLX or Bank in person you would definitely be able to lock him up. I am surprised you haven't contacted the bank yet because the procedure they usually ask is a written complaint from the victim to initiate legal action and trust me that way of dealing would be effective many times than what you're doing now.
 
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