Scammed by the System
The driver had been on the road since morning when a request blinked on his inDrive screen. It was listed as a parcel delivery from Imtiaz Supermarket to a gated society on Jinnah Avenue. The name on the booking carried a title that usually makes people lower their guard. Captain. The fare showed five thousand rupees for a distance that rarely crosses a few hundred. And the message beneath it said that he should only accept the ride if he had fifteen thousand rupees in hand.
He hesitated, but the promise of a high payout made the decision for him. At Imtiaz, a man stood waiting with grocery bags, a uniform and a pair of shoes. Everything looked ordinary. The driver paid the fifteen thousand and loaded the items on his motorcycle before starting the long ride toward Jinnah Avenue.
At the gate, the customer assured him that vehicle entry was being arranged. A few minutes later he appeared, collected the parcel and said he would be back with the cash. The driver waited under the shade of a guard post, watching cars enter the quiet lanes inside. Five minutes passed. Then ten. By the time it had been half an hour, the number on the app had gone dark and Truecaller flashed a single word. Scam.
“I just stood there at the gate waiting for someone who was never coming back,” the driver said. “I lost the fifteen thousand I paid, the fuel I used and the hours I spent on that delivery. Everything was gone in a few minutes.”
His experience is not an isolated one. Drivers from different parts of the city described the same pattern, the same instructions and the same drop off point. Another rider was sent to a CSD store near the Gora Qabristan and asked to buy the same combination of groceries, uniform and shoes. He sensed something odd when the fare seemed unusually high and the customer insisted on cash payments at pickup. When he asked for an online transfer before buying anything, the caller grew irritated and accused him of wasting time. The rider refused to go ahead, and the booking disappeared from his screen a few minutes later.
Even shopkeepers have dealt with the same trick. A medical store owner near Jinnah Avenue said a man walked away with medicines worth several thousand, promising to return with payment from the same gated society. No one returned.
While these delivery scams continued to spread quietly, another scheme emerged in a very different corner of the city. As Sindh Traffic Police rolled out camera based challans, thousands of citizens were unsure whether they had been fined or not. Before the official portal was shared publicly, scammers used that confusion to send random messages with fake payment links. People clicked, believing they were clearing their traffic penalties, only to realise the money had gone somewhere else entirely.
“A message came saying a challan had been issued. I opened the link and paid because it looked official,” one citizen said. “Later I realised the real website was something completely different.”
One side where digital tools are becoming part of daily life in Karachi, and on the other side gaps in awareness are creating space for scams that grow faster than the systems themselves.
When innovation arrives, scammers arrive faster
Across Karachi, drivers using ride hailing apps have begun to recognise a pattern that did not exist a few months ago. It often begins with a name carrying a military rank, the kind that instantly signals authority. Captain, Major or Squadron Leader. The moment a driver calls the customer, the illusion becomes stronger. The voice on the line is steady and deliberately performed, the kind of tone that sounds like someone used to giving instructions. For many drivers, that voice alone removes any doubts.
“It was not only the name,” one driver said. “When he picked up, he spoke like an officer. Confident, calm, sure of what he was asking. You do not think this could be a scam when someone speaks like that. You feel you are talking to someone genuine.”
Once the trust is created, everything else follows the same rhythm. The fares offered are far higher than what a delivery should cost. Screenshots shared by drivers show requests offering five thousand rupees for a six kilometre trip or more than two thousand for a short distance. Some even carried instructions written as if they were part of the system. Messages saying only drivers who have enough cash should accept the ride made the situation appear procedural instead of suspicious.
The locations add another layer to the pattern. Several drivers pointed out that many orders are linked to areas inside or around cantonment zones. Drops for PAF Base Faisal, CMH Malir, Malir Cantt and gated societies along Jinnah Avenue appear repeatedly. The association with military neighbourhoods makes the call sound even more legitimate, especially when the person on the phone is already using a rank.
Another driver explained it in simple terms. “The whole thing feels rehearsed. He knew exactly when to sound strict and when to sound polite. He even guided the route like someone familiar with these areas. It felt real because he spoke with so much confidence.”
What makes the scam more organised than it first appears is its consistency across the city. Drivers operating in Korangi, Karsaz, DHA, Maripur and Jinnah Avenue describe the same instructions, the same tone and the same outcome. It is not an isolated incident but a months long routine that has moved from one neighbourhood to another, leaving riders to absorb the losses in fuel, time and cash payments that were never returned.
Some drivers now hesitate when a fare looks unusually generous or when a request includes buying uniforms or groceries. Others have learned to reject any booking that requires paying upfront. Yet for many, the pressure to earn a better amount makes the decision difficult.
“One good ride can make your entire day,” a driver said. “So when someone sounds official and the fare is high, you want to believe it. By the time you understand what happened, the person is gone and there is no way to reach them.”
One side where digital platforms have created new earning avenues for thousands of drivers in Karachi, and on the other side a parallel setup has quietly grown, built on imitation, high fares and the vulnerabilities that come with trust.
The space between a new system and public awareness
When Karachi introduced camera based challans across the city, the idea was meant to simplify the process. Violations would be recorded on the spot and a fine would be issued without the need for an officer to wave a driver down. But in the early weeks of the rollout, there was one gap that many did not anticipate. There was no clear public portal where citizens could check whether a fine had been issued or not. That absence of information created the perfect opening for another set of scams to appear.
Text messages began arriving on private numbers across the city. Each message looked like a standard challan alert. A number plate was mentioned, a violation was listed and a due date was added at the end. The link attached led to what appeared to be an online payment page. In reality, it redirected victims to cloned websites with altered domain names or to private wallet accounts controlled by scammers. The wording of these messages also played a role. Many used phrases like urgent or immediate action required, creating the feeling that the matter needed to be resolved quickly.
One citizen who paid a fake challan said, “The message looked ordinary. It arrived early in the morning and mentioned a signal violation. I had been out the night before so it sounded possible. I clicked the link without thinking and paid because I did not want the fine to double. Later, I found out the official system had not even gone live at that time.”
Another person shared a similar experience. “The website looked like a government page. It used the same colours and layout. It even thanked me for making a digital payment. When I checked with the traffic police, they said no challan existed. That is when I realised the link was fake.”
Warnings issued by Karachi Traffic Police later explained how these scams were operating. Genuine challans are sent only through official short codes such as 8070. They never come through private mobile numbers starting with +92 or 03. Citizens were reminded that government departments do not send payment links through regular messages. They also urged the public to avoid links that end in unusual domain extensions, a detail that appeared frequently in the fraudulent pages circulating online.
The police advisories stressed several points. Check the sender. Ignore and delete any suspicious message. Verify a challan only through the official Sindh Police website or mobile application. Never pay into an unverified account no matter how normal the message appears. They also encouraged people to report such numbers to the cyber crime wing if they receive repeated messages.
For many who fell victim, the timing was the most important factor. The system was new, the public information was limited and there was no clear method to check fines during the early days. That brief window of confusion was enough for scammers to gain ground.
“I just wanted to clear the fine quickly,” one citizen said. “You trust what looks familiar. Now I know I should wait and check only through the official channels.”
One side where digital enforcement was meant to create order and transparency, and on the other side the absence of early information created space for an entirely different pattern to emerge, one that relied on imitation rather than technology.
How the platform and Police explain the pattern
As reports of the delivery scam surfaced across Karachi, inDrive Pakistan said the issue stemmed from a misunderstanding and misuse of their courier model rather than anything built into the system itself. The company described the service as one designed to give both sides control. “inDrive courier service provides deliveries that work for users by offering true freedom of choice. Unlike other platforms, inDrive operates on a unique peer to peer pricing model in which the sender and courier mutually agree on the price for each delivery. Payments are always made directly from the passenger or sender to the courier, and drivers have full freedom to choose the orders that best suit them, based on price, distance, rating, or transport type.”
The company stressed that the scam appearing in Karachi sits outside how the model is meant to operate. “Importantly, inDrive does not encourage courier drivers to make payments on behalf of customers. This is not part of our service model, and drivers are advised to decline any such requests. We also encourage our drivers to accept only prepaid orders or those that do not require advance payment from their side.”
When cases of suspected fraud are reported, inDrive said the response is immediate. “When suspected fraud is reported, we investigate the matter thoroughly and block the customer’s account if misconduct is confirmed. We also support the affected driver in filing a police complaint. inDrive remains committed to ensuring a safe, transparent, and fair environment for our driver community.”
While this was unfolding on ride hailing platforms, a parallel pattern appeared on Karachi’s roads. The rollout of camera based challans left thousands unsure of whether they had been fined. The absence of an early verification system created a window for fraudulent text messages. These alerts mimicked government notifications, listed vehicle details and violations, and directed people toward payment links tied to private wallet accounts or cloned websites.
Karachi Traffic Police issued several warnings as the scam spread. The department clarified that such messages “have no connection with Karachi Traffic Police or any government office or platform” and described them as “fake, misleading, and fraudulent.” Citizens were reminded that genuine challans are not sent from private numbers and that no payment link is ever shared through personal messages. The repeated advisory was simple: ignore suspicious messages, verify challans only through official channels and report fraudulent activity when possible.
Together, these responses outline the same challenge. As new systems are introduced, gaps in public understanding create brief but significant opportunities for scams to grow. It is in this uncertain space that fraud often finds its first foothold, long before the system fully settles.
How to stay safe
For drivers and citizens navigating these services, the most reliable protection is caution. The guidance from inDrive and Karachi Traffic Police points in the same direction. Trust the platforms, but check the details before money changes hands.
For drivers, the company’s advice is clear and direct. “Importantly, inDrive does not encourage courier drivers to make payments on behalf of customers. This is not part of our service model, and drivers are advised to decline any such requests.” The company further explains that couriers should prioritise safe orders. “We also encourage our drivers to accept only prepaid orders or those that do not require advance payment from their side.” If an order involves buying items, if the fare seems unusually high or if the caller insists on cash payments, the request should be approached with caution.
For citizens facing fake challan messages, the police guidance remains consistent. Official challans do not come from personal mobile numbers, and no government office asks for payments through private accounts or unfamiliar links. The safest approach is to verify challans through the official website or Sindh Police’s mobile application. Any message that urges immediate action, uses unfamiliar domain extensions or redirects to private wallets should be ignored and deleted.
One citizen who fell for the challan scam described how easily it can happen. “You think you are clearing a fine. The message looks normal and you convince yourself that it must be real. Now I check directly on the police website every time.” A driver who lost money to the delivery scam expressed a similar shift in behaviour. “I used to look at the fare first. Now I look at the instructions. If anyone asks me to pay for something before delivery, I walk away.”
One side where Karachi’s digital services are expanding rapidly, and on the other side individuals are learning how to build their own safeguards as these tools become part of daily life. Until awareness becomes as widespread as the technology itself, careful attention remains the strongest protection against scams that thrive in moments of uncertainty.