If taxi scams weren’t enough, a new scheme has surfaced among Bengaluru’s auto-rickshaw drivers, this time targeting emotions rather than wallets. A recent post on the ‘Bangalore’ subreddit highlighted this emotional ploy, gaining agreement from locals who’ve encountered similar experiences.
Under the headline “Beware: Emotional scam by auto drivers,” Reddit user @smart_zombie2 shared their encounters: “Happened with me 4 times in the last 1 month. You board an auto and suddenly the auto-driver starts crying and saying things like ‘My wife is in the hospital and I don’t have money for treatment’, ‘My wife is having twins and we don’t have money to raise them’, ‘My mother is dying in hospital and I don’t have money to treat her’.” Initially sympathetic, the OP admitted giving money the first time, but grew suspicious when it happened again on a different ride.
The post quickly gained traction, with others chiming in. “The sad part is that they are actually reducing people’s trust on folks who are genuinely in need,” one commenter observed. Another joked, “Wife having twins and sharing the photos is happening in HSR layout area since last year. And funny thing is they all share the same set of photos! They are not smart enough to even carry out a scam.”
Reflecting on their own encounter, a third commenter shared, “Happened to mom once when she was visiting me. She barely takes auto so I thought she must have fallen into the trap but apparently, she got this strong intuition that it was fake so she said, ‘I will pray for you tonight’.”
No doubt, this emotional twist on scamming shows that in Bengaluru’s busy streets, even kindness can be used for personal gain.