(MENAFN- Live Mint) Rapido drivers are allegedly pulling a new scam on their customers, and a Bengaluru man is urging social media users to be aware of it.

In a viral Reddit post, the man shared that he had booked a ride with an estimated fare of ₹598. However, what began as a seemingly normal ride turned out to be a scam - in fact, a very common one.

“I booked a Rapido from Bangalore Terminal 2 to Jakkur. The app showed the fare - ₹598. I followed the normal OTP flow and gave the driver the OTP Everything seemed fine,” the post read.

The man said that at the end of the ride, the Rapido driver showed him an inflated bill of ₹758 on his phone screen. However, on the customer's app, the ride was still listed as active.

“At the end of the ride, the rider showed me a billing screen on his phone that said ₹758. It looked like the Rapido UI, but I felt something was off. I checked my Rapido app on my own phone, and the ride was still showing as not finished,” he said.

The fake app scam

Upon being confronted, the driver hesitantly showed the passenger his phone, only to reveal a fake app called TownRide, which allegedly has a similar interface to Rapido but allows users to manually adjust the fare.

“The rider was hesitant to show me his phone, and upon a little push, I found out that he was actually using a fake app called TownRide. It looks exactly like the Rapido interface, but the fare amount can be manually changed!” the viral post read.

“When I confronted him about it, he calmly said this is what he's been using 'for a long time' (what the actual F),” the Bengaluru man shared in his viral post.

Upon realising the scam, the man said he raised his voice at the driver and firmly agreed to pay only the original fare.

“I realised what was happening, I raised my voice, my tone got firm, and he immediately understood he was on the wrong side. He quickly agreed to accept the actual amount that showed up on the official Rapido app, took the payment, and sped off,” he said.

LiveMint has reached out to Rapido for a comment via email. The story will be updated with the company's response as it comes.

Here's how netizens reacted:

Several social media users reported that they have faced a similar situation with other cab aggregators as well.

“It's always Rapido,” claimed a user.

“Happened with me today but for an Uber ride. For a quick second he showed me the inflated fare and closed it. I was firm and offered to pay only what my account was showing. They will raise their voice and try to repress you but you need to hold your ground and not give in. At least it worked for me,” shared a user.

Another added:“I experienced a similar situation, but with Ola. The first time, I fell for the trick. However, during a later ride from the airport, the driver showed me a fare that was ₹300 higher than expected. I immediately questioned it and asked him to open the app. He hesitated at first, but when he finally did, the actual fare was clearly lower.”

A user said,“This is quite common,” adding that if you book a cab from the Airport, it shows "toll" fare.“If the driver takes a non-toll road, he won't end the ride and ask for the original fare. I always make sure the ride ends before I pay. I stick to Uber as much as possible for longer rides.”

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