- A Bengaluru commuter exposed a fake app scam inflating cab fares on Rapido rides
- Driver used a counterfeit app mimicking Rapido to manually increase the fare amount
- The commuter paid Rs 1084 plus Rs 200 extra, despite official fare showing Rs 684
A Bengaluru resident has claimed to have exposed a new scam involving a fake app used to inflate cab fares. In a social media post, the commuter recounted a journey from Whitefield to the airport where his Rapido fare jumped from Rs 684 to Rs 1,084. After questioning the discrepancy, the commuter found that the driver was using a fake application designed to mimic Rapido's interface, allowing for manual price manipulation.
"Bangalore cab drivers are the biggest scammers on earth: @rapidobikeapp price: Rs 684 (Whitefield to airport) End trip price: Rs 1084. I asked driver how is this possible? He says oh parking, toll etc.," the user named Anul Agarwal wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
"I said but parking is not on me - still with parking how is it so high? And why in my app, the ride did not stop? Price is displayed only when the ride stops," he added.
The commuter claimed that the driver was using an app called 'Towner', which looked exactly like Rapido, allowing him to display any price that he wanted. As the situation escalated, the driver started abusing him, prompting Agarwal to pay the amount shown on the Rapido app as well as Rs 200 extra.
"I took my bag and ran I paid the amount shown on my Rapido app," said Agarwal. "Be safe please and pay only the amount displayed on your app."
Check The Viral Post Here:
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Social Media Reactions
As the post went viral, one user said, "Even I was scammed once with this. Many Rapido drivers are using this to scam."
Another added: "There is a very simple solution to this. User just scans a QR code on the cab driver's screen that verifies if the shown amount is legit or not. Simple 2FA"
A third commented: "I've learned to always pre-pay for my rides whenever possible, especially long rides. Takes a bit of time as many drivers don't accept it, but always better to wait a bit longer than get scammed."
Agarwal, in a follow-up post, provided an update, stating that Rapido reached out to him and refunded the amount he paid.
"Rapido support had reached out to me (right as my flight was about to take off), and I explained everything and shared a screenshot of my UPI transaction," said Agarwal, adding: "They refunded the additional amount and would take action against the driver!! Great support immediate resolution."
(Disclaimer: NDTV cannot independently verify the authenticity of the claims made in the post)
