Scammed on Buying Online Service – Seeking Advice!

Hey everyone,

I’m active in a few WhatsApp groups for founders, startups, and small business communities. A while back, my friend and I were hunting for internships and realized how expensive LinkedIn Premium is. Out of nowhere, someone in one of these groups offered LinkedIn Premium for six months at a super low price (around 3k INR). Seemed like a steal, so I messaged them and decided to take a chance.

I paid 3k and got Premium activated on my account, so all seemed legit. A few days later, I bought another one for a friend using the same UPI ID. Then, another friend asked me how I got it, so I offered to get it for him too. But this time, the guy started delaying, answering sporadically, then completely ghosted me after a few days. I paid him 3k for this.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: when I reached out to the WhatsApp group admin, it turns out his UPI ID is the exact same as the scammer’s – the same ID I’d sent money to. He claimed someone had complained about that number a few days ago. I narrated the whole story, and he promised he’d "get my money back." Now the admin told me he has no relation with him I just provide him the commission. Fast forward 20-25 days, and I'm still getting the same runaround.

In the meantime, I’ve bought 5-6 LinkedIn Premium activations from the WhatsApp group admin source where I only pay after it’s activated, but this incident has left me frustrated and a bit concerned for others in these groups.

So, what do you guys think? Should I expose the details here on Reddit and let the community handle it? Or is there a legal way to get my refund and prevent this person from scamming others? I’m seriously fed up and don’t want others to fall into the same trap.

Any advice or guidance would be super appreciated. Thanks!