Just now, someone tried to scam me by pretending to offer a donation of 1 lakh 70 thousand rupees in charity. Wallahi, it looked so genuine that if Allah hadn’t helped me recognize the red flags, I would have lost precious charity money from my account. Let me share the details…
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Red Flag 1
A random guy calls and says he wants to contribute to the charity project. I told him it was already complete.
The first red flag was when he replied, *”I want to contribute to any other project you have. I have 1 lakh 70 thousand ready to give immediately.”*
(I was really impressed.) *Note: If it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t!*
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I asked, “Wow, who gave you my number?” He responded, “So-and-so, ‘XYZ,’ gave me your number.” Coincidentally, I actually knew someone named XYZ, so it seemed genuine. He then took my account number and QR code.
Red Flag 2
He immediately called back and said, “If I send you more than 1 lakh, I’ll be taxed. So I’ll send you Rs.95,000, but please send me Rs.45,000 back to help me avoid the tax!” This gave me a chill.
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I replied, “Why don’t you send me Rs.50,000 instead? That way, I don’t need to send anything back.” He insisted, “No, no, trust me.” At that point, a light bulb went off.
Red Flag 3
He then asked me to use another phone to video call him during the transaction so he could “help” me with the process. I responded, “Wait, wait, can you please tell me exactly who this ‘XYZ’ brother is who gave you my number? I need to confirm with him.”
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They usually ask us to show our transaction screen because they plan to use our ID to withdraw an amount and generate an OTP. As soon as we receive it on our screen, visible to them, they enter the OTP and withdraw whatever amount they want.
Alhamdulillah, by this time, Allah guided me to realize that this was a scam. I started asking him counter-questions, and he quickly hung up. Allah saved me from a potential disaster.
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The reason I was initially off-guard was because I frequently encounter generous Muslims, making it hard to identify who might be a scammer. And, Alhamdulillah, where I’m from—Mangalore—so many Muslims just call and, within a minute, send 25-30k in charity, without me even knowing them personally. Barakallahu feehim.
Nevertheless, this is a reminder to always stay alert and not get carried away. Also, always ask Allah to protect you.
—Mohammed Manna.
(4th Nov 2024)
Saheehus-Seerah 