💬 Lost ₹4,000 to a UPI collect request while selling my old fridge. Yes, I know

Put our old fridge up for sale online 2 weeks ago. Lost ₹4,000 before anyone even came to see it. Guy called within an hour. Very polite. Army officer, getting transferred, needs it urgently. Didn't bargain at all. That should've been my first clue. Said he'll pay the full amount on UPI right now. Then, I'll send 1 rupee first to check the account. A request popped up on my phone. I was at my desk, manager walking around behind me, half paying attention. Screen said enter PIN and somewhere in my head I thought that's how you receive. I entered it. ₹4,000 gone to some name I'd never heard of. Not 1 rupee coming in. 4,000 going out. He called back in seconds. Sorry sorry, mistake, approve one more and I'll send it all back with the payment. That's when it clicked. Cut the call, blocked the number, sat there feeling like a fool. My wife was more angry that I approved it than about the money. Fair enough. I've read about this exact scam maybe 10 times. Still did it, because I was busy and he sounded decent. Reported it on the cyber crime helpline that evening and to my bank the next morning. Bank says they've raised it with the other bank, but the money already moved out of that account. 2 weeks, no refund. The helpline officer was honest, small amounts like this rarely come back. Only good part, they said that account already had other complaints against it. So at least it's flagged. Collect request means money going out. Always. I've written that on a sticky note on my laptop now.

Imran001 is right about checking history, but most people only look after the money is already gone. My cousin in Mehdipatnam got a call about a pending KYC and almost installed a screen sharing app. He stopped only because the caller turned rude and kept rushing him, which felt strange for a bank. Has anyone here got money back after filing a complaint, and how long did it take?

The fake payment screenshot is the one that worries me most, because the victim never touches their own phone. I sell used phones near Charminar and one buyer showed me a success screen and hurried me along.

My uncle nearly fell for the collect request trap last month at a petrol pump in Banjara Hills. A caller said he was sending a refund and a pending request popped up on the phone screen.

Four thousand hurts, but at least you caught on before approving the second request he sent you. The army officer story is an old one, a cousin of mine got the same call while selling a sofa. After that I started checking my transaction history every night, not just the balance, it takes a minute. If anything odd shows up, you can report it the same day instead of finding out at month end.