Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

SMS scams lean on short, urgent lines and a shortened link. The message looks official because the sender name (header) is shaped to resemble a real organisation. 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 by SMS

• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".

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 text message

• 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.
• The link domain is not the one you type yourself for that organisation.
• The message asks for an OTP, PIN, card number or password.

What to do

1. End the call and do not scan, tap or enter any PIN.
2. Check the course or exam app, or the receipt, for the real payment status.
3. Write to the coaching or exam body using the contact on its official website.
4. Open the official app or type the official website yourself to see if there is any real notice.
5. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
6. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 right away and report at cybercrime.gov.in.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card and ask it to try to hold the transfer.
3. Block UPI temporarily and change your UPI PIN in the app.
4. 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.

Full guide: Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp, email.

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