Skip to content
The-Inversity
हिंदी
All alerts

Scam of the WeekWeek of 26 Oct 2026Shopping and deliveries#diwali1 min read

Fake Diwali sale websites

Social media ads show phones, gold and gift hampers at 80 to 90% off. The shop is fake: it takes your UPI payment and delivers nothing.

How it works

  1. 1

    In the weeks before Diwali, ads fill social media: a new phone for ₹4,999, a gold coin at half price, a gift hamper that is free if you pay for delivery. The website looks real, with a countdown clock and "only 3 left".

  2. 2

    Payment is by UPI or card only; cash on delivery is "not available on sale items". After you pay, the order page says "confirmed", and then nothing happens. The phone number does not answer, and a few days later the site is gone.

  3. 3

    Some of these sites also save your card details, or ask for an OTP "to confirm the order", which is then used for a bigger payment.

Red flags

  1. Prices far below every other shop, especially on phones, electronics and gold.
  2. A web address close to a big brand's but not quite the same, or a new site you only found through an ad.
  3. No cash on delivery, no real address, and payment by UPI to a person's name.
  4. A countdown clock or "only 3 left" to make you hurry.

What to do

  • Buy from the brand's own site or app, or a marketplace you already use, by typing the address yourself.
  • If an offer looks too good, search the site's name with "fraud" or "review" before paying.
  • Never share an OTP to "confirm" an order, and be wary of paying an unknown seller by UPI.
  • If you paid, call your bank and 1930 straight away, and keep the order screenshots.
Got a suspicious message? Check it
1930

Already lost money? Call 1930 straight away.

The National Cyber Crime Helpline. Or report it at cybercrime.gov.in. The sooner you report it, the better the chance of stopping the money.

Call 1930

Scam or safe?

What would you do?

  1. An Instagram ad: new flagship phone ₹6,999, Diwali sale, UPI only, ends in 10 minutes. Scam or safe?

  2. The site asks for the OTP you just got, "to confirm your order". What do you do?

Facts checked against

Get Scam of the Week every Monday

One short email a week. Stop any time.

Could you spot a fake?

Asli ya Fraud: real messages and fake ones. Free, 3 minutes.

Play free

For awareness only. The-Inversity is an education company, not the police: report a crime at 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.