2 days ago
Scammers swap payment scanners at Phase-7 scooter market in Mohali
A case of digital payment fraud has surfaced at the Phase-7 Scooter Market, where unidentified miscreants reportedly pasted their own QR code scanners over those of local mechanics to siphon off payments made by unsuspecting customers.
Gurvinder Singh Sohal, president of scooter market association, stated that most mechanics display QR codes of payment apps such as Paytm, Google Pay, and BharatPe at their work booths for customer convenience. However, someone allegedly entered the market at night and pasted their own scanner stickers over the existing ones.
The scam came to light when a mechanic reported not receiving a payment despite a customer making an online transaction. Upon closer inspection, an extra QR code pasted over the original was discovered. The altered QR code redirected the payments to a different account.
Although the issue was identified in time to prevent major financial losses, two mechanics did incur small losses—Mani Singh lost ₹300, and Rajesh Kumar lost ₹500.
Market representatives managed to trace the name and mobile number linked to the fraudulent scanner. When contacted, the individual denied any involvement. A formal written complaint was submitted to the local police, seeking action against the perpetrator.
The scooter market association has urged all vendors to regularly verify their payment scanners and has also requested authorities to step up night patrolling in the area to prevent such incidents in the future.
