Saturday 24 January 2015

Surat City - Ranipur Calamity Fake Charity Donation Scam - 25/1/2015

"We are inhabitants of Ranipur Village are dressed to natural calamities and have lost our house and property. We are not standing for food and oven clothes to were- are requesting your good self to kindly help us generously and we have to shelter to live”


If someone with a paper approaches you with something like above written on it, do not pay, it's a scam. Call the police.

It happened to me in Surat. I live in Ghod Dod area and two women knocked on my door asking for money, they handed me a piece of paper and said they are raising money for a natural calamity that had occurred in a a small Rajasthan village.

 I asked them "has there been a drought?".

She said "Sorry Hindi only". I don't know why I didn't caught it then but I have been scammed the very first time.  Never Again; Once bitten Twice Shy.

 I handed them Rs. 50. I had heard about no such thing and was very naive to do so without even knowing all the facts.

As to my curiosity, just after they left, I searched "Ranipur village" and got to know the village is in Uttar Pradesh and another in Uttarakhand, so no Ranipur in Rajasthan then.

Then I typed "Ranipur calamity" and stumbled upon two results related to a scam which had the same exact thing written as that on the paper.

Basically, they give you a piece of paper and also the name of people who have donated a large sum of money typically around Rs. 500.

After they left, I strode down the building and asked the watchmen about them and complained then it was a scam, he is like "I wasn't here for a few minutes."

You did a very fine job there.  Much Obliged.

Seriously though, always ask for a card/identification. These type of act will prevent me in future from giving to those who are genuine and always raise a suspicion. They will probably scam the whole region where I live.

BEWARE!