Scam Alert: Cook Claims 'Police' Caught Him With Gas Cylinder, Demands Rs 18,000

A techie has claimed that his father was nearly scammed out of the tune of Rs 18,000 if he had not intervened at the last moment. In a social media post, a user named Anand Murugan detailed that his father had arranged for a cook for his dosa shop, who was supposed to travel from Kolkata by train. During the journey, the cook supposedly got caught by the police with a gas cylinder and the authorities were now demanding money to let him go. 

Murugan explained that the alleged cook spoke fluent Tamil and claimed to be from Guwahati in Assam. The scammer added that he had been living in Chennai but was now in Kolkata.

"New scam attempt. My father has a dosa shop. He arranged for a cook," wrote Murugan in an X (formerly Twitter) post, adding: "The cook called supposedly from the train and said he was bringing a gas cylinder with him for cooking and got caught by a police officer who is demanding 18000 rupees otherwise he will face 3 years imprisonment."

The cook video called Murugan's father and showed a police officer alongside him, as well as the crowd, to further sell the scam and squeeze the money.

"He came on video call and showed a police officer and him with the gas cylinder and crowd around him," said Murugan. "My father fell for it and asked me to send the money. Luckily, I convinced my father that it is a scam."

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'Been Running For Years'

As the post went viral, garnering over 383,000 views, social media users highlighted that it was a fairly common scam where scammers pose as chefs and cooks and demand money through bogus means.

"We paid 2000 for train tickets, and he said his phone got repaired and needs another 6000; if we don't pay, he won't come," said one user while another added: "This is a fairly old scam. Been running for years. Stay alert, stay safe."

A third commented: "What a cheater. He cheated the person who is offering him a job. Many don't get work, and he is cheating."

A fourth said: "Even chefs asking money for train travel is itself a very common scam. They ask you for travel expenses by sending you aadhar card and location, and then block you from all platforms, and suddenly the number goes off."