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Although the Bengaluru resident did not fall for the ‘urgent marriage’ scam, he turned to the internet for advice on whether he should file a police complaint.
A man from Bengaluru shared an incident on Reddit and asked, “Do you think this is a new scam in Bangalore, asking for money for an ‘urgent marriage’?”
“Is this a new scam in Bangalore?” asked a man on Reddit after he was met with an unsual request at his home in Indiranagar – Rs 15,000 for ‘urgent marriage’ of a girl. The situation took an unsettling turn when he realised the so-called bride was a minor. Although he did not fall for the scam, he turned to the internet for advice on whether he should file a police complaint.
All about ‘Bengaluru’s new scam’
A Reddit user, known as “kvak95,” recently shared a bizarre experience he had in Bengaluru. While enjoying a show on an OTT platform, he dozed off, only to be jolted awake by a persistent doorbell. “I opened the door, and my vision was quite blurry. I saw a lady in her 40s who started speaking to me as soon as I opened the door,” wrote the man on Reddit.
He continued, “Though I don’t speak Kannada, I understand it fairly well. But as I was sleepy, my Kannada comprehension skills had gone for a toss until I heard the word ‘maduve’, with the lady pointing to a young girl, who wouldn’t be older than 15 years. ‘Marriage??!!’ I shouted regaining consciousness.”
In his post, the Reddit user explained that he struggled to communicate in Kannada, informing the woman that his understanding of the language was limited. She then asked if he spoke Telugu or Hindi, and he replied that he did speak Telugu.
“She explained that her daughter was to get married in a while in a temple nearby and they fell short of marriage expenses by 15 thousand and wanted me to help her urgently. ‘No!’, I shouted and closed the door rudely, annoyed by the fact that she disturbed my sleep. This is something I regret badly,” he further expressed.
Following his account of the incident, the Reddit user posed a question to the community: “Anyway, do you think this is a new scam in Bangalore, asking for money for an ‘urgent marriage’?”
He also sought guidance from other users, inquiring about the appropriate course of action if the situation was legitimate, considering that the girl was minor.
Take a look at the entire post below:
After reading his account of the incident, many shared that they have encountered similar scams. An individual wrote, “Yup, it’s a scam. The first time it happened, I felt bad thinking that small amount shouldn’t matter to me, but could be very important to them. And after that, different people have come least 3-4 times that I’ve stopped talking and close the door/gate on their face. I feel bad to do this, but I’m sure that if I give once, a lot more will come.”
“This is an old scam. Back in 2002, I was in Gujarat, an old lady came to our door telling the same marriage story, asking for money. My mom was washing dishes inside. My 6th standard brain thought if I tell mom she’ll scold. So, I thought I’ll give the old lady from my pocket money. She thanked me and left. And for several days my dumbass thought I saved someone’s marriage. P.S. I gave her 2 rupees beacuse my parents never gave me pocket money, I just collected chillars from mom,” another added.
“Everything is a scam until proven otherwise,” expressed a third.