Across India, especially in cities like Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, police have been warning about a growing wave of dating and matrimonial scams. These rackets operate using various online platforms—dating apps, social media, and matrimonial websites—to deceive, extort, or rob unsuspecting people. Even police personnel have fallen victim.
How These Rackets Work
- Fake Profiles & Luring to Cafes
- Scammers create attractive profiles (often using stolen photos) on dating or matrimonial apps.
- Once trust is built, they invite the victim to a pre-arranged restaurant or café.
- After ordering, victims are presented with an inflated bill—sometimes in tens of thousands—and threatened until they pay.
- In some cases, café staff are part of the racket.
- Sextortion (Video Call Traps)
- Victims are encouraged to join intimate video calls or share private photos.
- The content is recorded and used to blackmail them for money under threat of exposing it to family or employers.
- Fake Investment Offers
- The scammer poses as a romantic interest and slowly convinces the victim to invest in a “special” business or cryptocurrency scheme.
- Fake websites or apps show false profits at first, but when the victim tries to withdraw money, new “fees” are demanded. Eventually, the site disappears.
- Robbery After Meeting
- Some victims—especially those using LGBTQ dating apps—are lured to isolated locations, physically assaulted, and robbed of valuables such as gold and cash.
- Digital Arrest Scams
- A newer variation involves scammers posing as police or government officials.
- They claim the victim is involved in crimes like money laundering or cybercrime and demand immediate payments to “avoid arrest.”
- Video calls may include fake police uniforms, ID cards, and official-looking documents.
Recent Examples Reported by Police
- In one metro city, 21 people were arrested for operating a chain of cafés that targeted dating app users. Victims were billed several thousand rupees for simple food items.
- A civil service aspirant in Delhi was trapped via a dating app and forced to pay ₹1.2 lakh in a single evening.
- In Kerala, four men lured a victim through an LGBTQ dating site, then robbed him of 3.5 sovereigns of gold after assaulting him.
- A Gurgaon businessman lost ₹1.1 crore after being drawn into a fake cryptocurrency investment by someone he met on a dating app.
- A software engineer from Karnataka lost ₹9.4 lakh through a matrimonial scam that promised marriage and joint business investments.
- Senior citizens in Mysuru lost nearly ₹2 crore after receiving calls from scammers posing as police officers who claimed they were involved in “criminal cases” and demanded money to avoid arrest.
Why People Fall Victim
- Emotional vulnerability (loneliness, desire for companionship).
- The false sense of trust built over weeks or months.
- Fear of social embarrassment if the scam is exposed.
- Threats and intimidation during the scam.
Safety Tips from Cybercrime Units
- Verify the identity of anyone you meet online before meeting in person.
- Never share private photos or videos with people you haven’t met and verified in real life.
- Meet new contacts in public, well-lit areas—avoid secluded locations.
- Do not send money or invest based on online-only relationships.
- If threatened, immediately contact the police cybercrime cell instead of giving in to demands.
