Scammed by an Auto Guy in Hosur(Tamilnadu and Karnataka): A Hard Lesson

Being from West Bengal, I never imagined my first trip to Tamil Nadu would leave me with a bitter experience. But here I was, standing in the middle of nowhere near Poonpalli village, realizing I had just been scammed by an auto driver. It all started when I needed a ride from Hosur to Poonpalli village. The first price the auto guy quoted was ₹400. I bargained hard and brought it down to ₹300. Thinking I had gotten a fair deal, I got in. The journey was smooth until we reached Poonpalli bus stand. But my actual destination was a little further, where my friend was waiting. When I asked him to take me there, he immediately demanded ₹100 extra. Annoyed but left with no choice, I agreed. Finally, when we reached my friend’s location, he suddenly demanded another ₹50. I argued, telling him we had already agreed on the extra ₹100, and after some back-and-forth, he gave up on the extra ₹50. I handed him ₹500 in cash, expecting ₹100 back. That’s when the real scam began. He pretended to be honest and said, “I’ll send ₹100 to your Google Pay.” He took out his phone, opened the app, and asked for my number. But instead of actually sending the money, he just pretended to type it in and told me to step aside. Before I could react, he quickly placed my bags on the ground, jumped into his auto, and sped away. Standing there, I immediately checked Google Pay—nothing. He had never sent me the ₹100. It wasn’t just about the money; it was about how easily he tricked me. As a student, every rupee matters, and getting scammed like this felt frustrating. Hosur, being just 50 km from Bengaluru and near the Karnataka border, felt like a different world in that moment. I had learned a tough lesson: never trust an auto guy to return change later. Always carry exact cash, and if someone insists on sending money digitally, make sure you see the transaction complete before letting them go.