Flipkart Offers Hotstar Premium Annual Subscription For Rs. 99: Is It A Scam?

Online scams have become so common that people usually fail to spot the difference between real and fake, especially if it involves a very small amount of money like Rs. 100. For an individual, it would just be Rs. 100, however, if a scammer scams 100 people, he is making a lot of money.

The latest scam in the world of the internet involves two of the big name in the Indian online industry. Flipkart, an e-commerce player, and Disney+ Hotstar an OTT platform.

The Backdrop

Last night one of my friends sent me a Flipkart link that claimed to offer 1 year of Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription for just Rs. 99. Do note that, this subscription is priced at Rs. 1,499 and this was nothing but a steal deal. One thing that gave me assurance is the fact that it was a Flipkart Assured deal, which according to Flipkart is "Seal of Quality & Speed" and one will get exactly what they ordered.

After careful consideration and making sure that it is not some phishing link, I logged into my Flipkart account and ordered myself a possible Hotstar Premium subscription at an unbelievable price (which I shouldn't have done). Especially considering that IPL is around the corner and this subscription offers ad-free FHD streaming of the same.

I made my payment through Paytm and soon after that, I got a mail and an SMS from Flipkart that my order has been successfully placed, which made me reassure that it is really a genuine deal. I also shared the link with my other friends and they couldn't access the same and the list was gone.

Did I Get Hotstar Premium Annual Subscription For Rs. 99?

According to the mail, the activation code will be sent to my registered e-mail ID. And the order confirmation mail also confirmed that it will be delivered within September 17 (same day). It is already September 18 and I haven't received any code and my order is still active. So, no, I didn't get Hotstar Premium annual subscription for Rs. 99.

When I checked Twitter, I got to know that thousands of people have ordered it and not even a single person has got the order delivered. Some users are also claiming that their order has been canceled and Flipkart has refunded their money.