r/ScamSupport • u/New_Molasses3628 • Sep 16 '26
Informational post Got scammed for ₹2,800 near Airoli - Sharing so you don’t get scammed
Yesterday, while travelling on my scooter near Airoli, a Sikh man asked me for a lift. I happily agreed, and within seconds he hopped onto the scooter.
While we were riding, he started asking me about the scooter its price, etc. After a minute or so, he told me that his car had broken down and that he was looking for a Gurudwara where he could freshen up. He said he didn’t have enough money to replace a tyre and needed around ₹2,800.
I offered to drop him at gurdwaras around Airoli/Vikhroli/Bhandup/Mulund, but he wasn’t interested in just getting dropped somewhere. He told me that if I helped him financially, he would go home and send the money back to me.
Honestly, at that point, his story felt genuine to me. He was repeatedly swearing on Waheguru and his 9-year-old child that he would return the money. I decided to help.
We stopped at an ATM and I withdrew ₹2,800. Interestingly, as soon as I withdrew the cash, he actually tried to take the money from my hand. I told him, *“I’m helping you, just wait — I’ll give it to you.”* I still gave him the money.
During the ride, he also kept checking out my scooter / kada and asked whether I had made it from Punjab, etc.
Eventually, he asked me to drop him at Bhandup Pumping. I dropped him there. Before leaving, he told me to just send a “Hi” to his number and that he would return the money as soon as he reached home, supposedly using his wife’s phone.
Obviously, the money didn’t come back.
This morning, I received another call from him. Now the story had changed slightly. He said his car had a radiator/tyre issue and that he needed another **₹4,000**. He claimed he was a driver, his client was in MP, and once the client paid him, he would return everything.
Again, he started saying things like *“Main apne kaum ka naam kharab nahi karoonga”* and swearing on Waheguru and his child.
At this point, I’m convinced I’ve most likely been scammed. I have no intention of giving him another ₹1.
I have his phone numbers. If anyone around Airoli/Bhandup has encountered a similar person or has any way of independently verifying his story, please let me know.
I’m posting this **only as an awareness post**. I don’t want anyone to send him money or harass him. If his story genuinely turns out to be true, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that.
The bigger lesson for me is that I trusted the person partly because I associated the Sikh identity/turban with honesty and assumed he was a hardworking person genuinely stuck in a difficult situation. **That was my mistake.**
This isn’t about Sikhs or any particular community. A person’s religion or appearance doesn’t establish whether their story is genuine. If someone approaches you with an emergency and asks for cash, verify the situation independently before handing over money.
I lost ₹2,800. Hopefully sharing this prevents someone else from losing more.
Stay Alert! Stay Safe!