Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam over the phone
How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.
A phone call lets the scammer talk fast, sound confident and keep you from thinking. The caller ID can be faked, so it proves nothing. Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller offers a refund for coaching or exam fees but needs your UPI PIN or a small test payment first. See how the refund trap works and stay safe.
What coaching and exam fee refund scam looks like over the phone
- A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
- Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
- Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.
Scammers find students through data leaks, public forums, lead lists sold by agents and posts about results or admissions. They call within days of a real payment and use the correct name of the course or exam. The caller says he is from the finance or support team and mentions a small error in the fee.
Red flags to check on the phone call
- A refund that needs your UPI PIN, card PIN or OTP.
- A QR code or collect request to 'receive' money.
- The caller contacts you first, not through the official student login.
- Pressure to finish within minutes while on the call.
- You are asked to move money to a "safe account".
- You are told to keep the call secret.
What to do
- End the call and do not scan, tap or enter any PIN.
- Check the course or exam app, or the receipt, for the real payment status.
- Write to the coaching or exam body using the contact on its official website.
- If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
- Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).
- Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.
If money or a code is already gone
- Call 1930 right away and report at cybercrime.gov.in.
- Tell your bank through the number on your card and ask it to try to hold the transfer.
- Block UPI temporarily and change your UPI PIN in the app.
- Keep screenshots of the call log, QR and transaction details for the police.
National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.
Safeavio's QR check shows where a QR code leads before you scan, and Money Shield reminds you that a refund never needs a PIN. The scam check on a pasted SMS or email lists the urgency and PIN request. Safeavio cannot listen to a call or recover money already sent, so the safest step remains to end the call and check the course app yourself.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Full guide: Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, SMS, email.
Questions
How do I know if a phone call about coaching and exam fee refund scam is a scam?
Check the red flags above: the caller asks for an otp, upi pin, card pin or cvv. you are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes. When in doubt, do not act on the phone call; open the official app or website yourself or call the number printed on your card or bill.
What should I do first if I receive this phone call?
Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.