Types of scams and prevention in India - dealing with real estate scams, phone and QR scams, and tourist attraction rip-offs

When looking for a house in India, you will come across properties for sale in conditions that are noticeably better than the market price. The photos are great, and the landlord says, "I can't show you in person because I'm overseas right now, so I'll send you the keys if you send me some of the deposit (token money) first." If you receive this kind of offer from a real estate portal or social media, you are most likelyFake property advance deposit fraudno see. When you live in the field, you often come across variations of this method, but they have one thing in common —Ask for money before showing the house in personThe point is that it does.

At least 3 things to check before signing a contract

• Written Rent Agreement— Verbal promises are meaningless. The basis is a contract written on stamp paper and conditions stated.
• counterparty identity— Obtain the landlord/broker’s ID and contact information, and check that the name matches the name on the ownership documents.
• If it is a sale or sale, RERA— In India, there is a RERA (Real Estate Regulation Act, 2016) system that requires registration of real estate development projects, so for new sales, first check whether RERA is registered in the relevant state.

Criteria for choosing a trustworthy broker and tips for fees and negotiationsHow to use an Indian real estate broker and negotiate monthly rentIt is covered in detail, so we recommend that you read it before signing the contract.

Living in India, you will receive several calls and texts from unfamiliar numbers every day. Most of them are simple telemarketing, but there are some sophisticated scams mixed in as well. Phone scams impersonating banks, telecom companies, couriers and even police officers are the most common across India, so knowing the typical scenarios is your best defense.

• KYC expiration impersonation— Send a link or phone number along with a text saying, “The KYC of your bank account (or USIM) has expired and will be suspended if you do not renew it within today.” When you click on the link, it takes you to a fake site or leads you to install a remote control app.
• Courier/customs impersonation— “Illegal items were found in a package in your name,” they call the customs and police to scare you and demand a remittance ‘in the name of investigation.’
• So-called ‘Digital Arrest’— This is a method of making a video call impersonating a police officer or investigative agency and threatening to say, “You are the subject of an investigation and may be arrested,” preventing the person from ending the video call and demanding money. The Indian governmentNo investigative agency carries out arrests or requests payment via video call.We provide official guidance repeatedly.
• Request OTP pretending to be a bank employee— It asks you to call the OTP “to process the refund” and “to prevent the card from being frozen.” The moment you receive the OTP, the money will be deducted from your account.

3 principles for responding to phone scams

1. Do not disclose your OTP/PIN/password to anyone or under any circumstances.Banks, police and telecom companies will not ask for this over the phone.
2. If you push hard,hang up the phone, please check again directly with the number listed on the institution's official app or official website.
3. Links in texts are not clicked, and requests to install remote control apps (such as AnyDesk) are considered a sign of fraud in themselves.

It's easy to panic when an unfamiliar number quickly calls you in Hindi, but you can prevent most damage just by saying "I'll check directly with the official channel" and hanging up.

India is QR-based from street vendors to large shopping malls.UPI PaymentThis is a country where this is everyday life. Scams targeting UPI are also common, but you can filter out most of them if you remember one principle.When ‘receiving’ money, there is no need to scan QR or enter a PIN.is. If the other person says, “I’ll send you money, scan the QR and enter the PIN,” that’s not receipt.Payment action that causes money to be taken out of my accountno see.

Another practical preventive measure isUPI Separate dedicated accountThis is what we do. Rather than linking UPI directly to your salary account, if you link a separate account to UPI that only stores living expenses, the amount of damage will be limited even if an accident occurs. UPI Account opening and initial setup proceduresChecklist for your first 30 days in IndiaWe have organized it step by step.

In tourist destinations such as Delhi's Old City, Agra, and Jaipur, rip-offs and impersonations targeting foreign tourists occur on a daily basis. However, not all extra money is a scam. The Indian market is basicallybargaining cultureTherefore, inflating the price of souvenirs is itself close to the ‘rules of the game’, and the problem isAn impersonation-type scam that causes people to change their movements with false informationno see.

• “The hotel is closed” tactic— The driver or tout you meet at the station or airport will tell you that the hotel you booked is closed or that the road there is blocked, and will take you to another accommodation or ‘travel agency office’ that receives a commission. To the accommodation you bookedCall directly to checkThis is the quickest solution.
• Fake ‘Official Tourist Information Center’— There are many private travel agencies around the New Delhi train station with signs that look like they are government-authorized. It is safe to check tourist information through official channels such as the Ministry of Tourism of India, and not follow anyone who offers to guide you inside or outside the station.
• Autorickshaw/taxi fares— It is common for the meter to refuse or take a long route back. It is based on calling apps such as Uber and Ola, and at airports and major train stations.Prepaid taxi counterIf you use , the fee dispute itself disappears.
• shopping commission tour— If the tour driver/guide takes you to a jewelry store or carpet store that wasn’t on the itinerary, be suspicious of the commission structure. In particular, the offer to resell jewelry saying, “If you take it to Korea and sell it, you will get several times the amount left over,” is a classic scam.

When you suspect price gouging, rather than get into an emotional fightDetermine the market price in advance and set a baseline, If bargaining doesn’t work, the most effective way is to walk away. If you have truly experienced something unfair, go to the Indian government-runTourist helpline 1363You can ask for help.

No matter how careful you are, you cannot completely avoid damage. What's important isResponse in the hours immediately following damageno see. In particular, the sooner you report a financial fraud involving money being taken out of your account, the greater the chance that payments will be stopped before the money is transferred to the fraudster's final account.

Financial Fraud Initial Response Procedure

1. call 1930We report damaged transactions. Processing will be faster if you prepare the transaction time, amount, receiving account (or UPI ID), and transaction reference number.
2. at the same timeYour bank’s official call centerContact us to stop card·UPI·internet banking and register fraudulent transactions.
3. File a formal report (FIR, etc.) through the cybercrime.gov.in portal or at your nearest police station and keep the registration number — you will need it for insurance claims or bank compensation proceedings.
4. Do not delete evidence (text messages, call logs, transaction history screens), but keep all of it.

An Indian mobile phone number is required to apply for the portal, so save it with 1930 immediately after opening the SIM card. The movement safety and emergency response system for each family member isSafety tips for women and families in IndiaThis is covered in more detail.

Fraud prevention comes down to habit. The checklist below is actually a set of basic rules that Korean families living in India have learned, and it is very effective just to read it together once during a family meeting in the early days of taking office.

1. Do not disclose your OTP, PIN, or password to anyone.There are no exceptions, whether the person on the other end of the line is a bank or the police.
2. Do not send money until you see the actual item.Whether it is a real estate or second-hand transaction, it is considered a ‘request for deposit in advance = a sign of fraud.’
3. Scan QR and enter PIN only when paying.I decline any requests to enter anything when receiving.
4. Use the official app instead of a text link.For information about banks, telecommunications companies, and electricity bills, check directly on the official app rather than clicking on the link.
5. UPI Do not keep large amounts of money in separate accounts.Even if an accident occurs, damages are limited to living expenses.
6. Save 1930, 112, 1363 and the bank's official call center number on the mobile phones of all family members.It prevents secondary damage from being stumbled upon by a fake number while searching in an emergency.
7. Share new methods with family and friends.Scams are constantly evolving, so don't listen to the latest stories circulating in the Korean community.

India is not a country to be afraid of, but a country that is 'safe enough if you know it'. If you understand the pattern of the method and follow the above principles, fraud will remain as an occasional occurrence rather than a threat to life in India. Specific amounts and systems may continue to change even as of 2026, so be sure to check the latest information on the institution's official site before making an important decision.