Coaching and Exam Fee Refund Scam on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp scams arrive from numbers you do not know, from a friend whose account was taken over, or from a group you were added to without asking. 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 on WhatsApp

• A PDF, APK or image that must be opened to "see the details".
• A link that pretends to be a wa.me, courier or bank page.
• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.

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 WhatsApp 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 sender moves you quickly to Telegram or to a second app.
• A file ending in .apk arrives; never install it.

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. Warn the group or family, and report the number on Sanchar Saathi if it is a scam call or message.
5. Do not click links or open files. Do not send money or codes.
6. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

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, SMS, email.

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