Dating Scams: A civil service aspirant from Delhi recently fell prey to a ‘Tinder scam’, shelling out a staggering Rs 1.20 lakh at a café. This incident is part of a growing trend of dating app scams in major cities, where victims are duped into paying exorbitant bills during dates orchestrated by scammers. Many such cases remain unreported as victims fear revealing their dating app usage to their families.
The scam unfolds when the victim matches with a woman on a dating app like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, or OKCupid. The woman quickly shares her WhatsApp number, and after some conversation, a date is planned. She insists on meeting in a particular locality with numerous cafés and pubs. The woman chooses the café for the date.
At the café, the woman places the order, often choosing items not listed on the menu. In some instances, she fakes an emergency and leaves abruptly. When the bill arrives, the victim realises it far exceeds his expectations. Protests are met with threats from the café staff or bouncers, leaving the victim with no choice but to pay. The fear of exposing their dating app activities deters many from approaching the police.
In the latest Delhi incident involving an IAS aspirant, a similar sequence of events unfolded as the victim reached the Black Mirror Café in East Delhi’s Vikas Marg area to celebrate the birthday of Versha, a woman he had gotten to know on Tinder. Both ordered some snacks, two cakes, and four shots of a non-alcoholic beverage, NDTV reported. However, later, Versha rushed out of the ‘date’ citing a family emergency leaving the man to finish the food and pay the bill which amounted to Rs 1,21,917.70 for items that would not normally cost so much.
He raised a dispute over the bill but he was threatened, confined, and coerced to pay, NDTV’s report stated. The man paid the amount online to one of the cafe’s owners – 32-year-old Akshay Pahwa who is a resident of Shahdara in East Delhi and has studied till Class 10. Police arrested café owner Akshay Pahwa and the victim’s ‘date’ Afsan Parveen. The police then revealed an elaborate scam operation involving café owners, managers, and women who lure targets, it stated.
Akshay Pahwa disclosed that the bill’s proceeds are divided, with 15 per cent going to the woman, 45 per cent to the managers, and 40 per cent to the owners, the report stated.
In another case, one Reddit user recounted his own experience of being duped, stating, “Some couple was burning anar firecracker indoors… The girl insisted that we should also do it. I said no, maybe 100 times. She still ordered it, burned it. I didn’t participate. After this, I lost my interest and called for the bill. I calculated it in my mind to be 7-10k. If she splits, then okay else, I will pay and just leave. Boy, was I wrong? The bill came at 45k… Those anar firecrackers were of 2k each x15 = 30k.” Another user noted that he realised the man at the next table was also a victim.
In November last year, NCR-based Archit Gupta shared with ABP LIVE his own experience of being duped by a girl using a similar modus operandi as he was scammed to the tune of Rs 15,000. More On It: How I Swiped Right Into A Scam, And My Rs 15K Date Disaster Taught Me A Hard Lesson
This scam extends beyond Delhi, affecting major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. During the investigation into the Rajouri Garden incident, police uncovered similar cases.
Activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj highlighted a similar racket in Hyderabad, where victims were lured to a pub, ordered multiple shots, and faced bills upwards of Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000. Victims often refrain from filing complaints or posting on social media due to the desire for anonymity.
## HYDERABAD DATING SCAM ALERT ##
◾1 club, different names, daily trapping
◾3 men scammed by same girl reached out
◾8 victims in touch, scammed at same club
◾Trap laid through Tinder, Bumble
◾Bill amounts of 20-40K@hydcitypolice @TelanganaDGP @TelanganaCOPs @zomato pic.twitter.com/06xtRp6fHO
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) June 6, 2024
2 Men Arrested In Delhi For Robbing Women After Befriending Them On Dating Apps
Women are not immune to these scams. Earlier this month, Delhi Police arrested two men, Vijay Kumar Kamal (28) and Rahul (35), for befriending women on dating apps and robbing them at their homes, according to news agency PTI. Senior police officer Ankit Singh reported that a 35-year-old woman filed a complaint after being robbed by a man named Jatin (Vijay Kumar Kamal) and his accomplice Rahul. They tied her hands, taped her mouth, and assaulted her before stealing her gold ornaments, mobile phone, and Rs 5,000 in cash.
According to the victim, she and Jatin (alias Vijay Kumar Kamal) were communicating over messages before he and Rahul visited her house on May 30. The accused allegedly tied her hands, tapped her mouth, and assaulted her, Singh said. “Both robbed her gold ornaments, mobile phone, and Rs 5,000 cash and fled. After receiving the complaint, an FIR was lodged at Dabri police station and an investigation was initiated,” the DCP informed, as quoted by PTI.
The arrest of the accused has resolved four similar cases in Dabri, Dwarka North, South Rohini, and North Rohini, he said.
AI-Driven Dating Scams
These cases come amid concerns over the misuse of Artificial Intelligence as scammers increasingly use AI to create realistic fake profiles on dating apps, enhancing their credibility and deceiving victims more effectively. According to a February 2024 report by McAfee, 58% of 7,000 people surveyed in seven countries said they had come across fake profiles or photos that look AI-generated in the past year, on dating websites, apps, or on social media.
According to the report, reverse image searches on profile pictures revealed critical insights for users. Of those surveyed, 13% discovered they were being scammed, 7% found that their potential partner had scammed others before, and 11% realised their love interest was in a relationship with someone else through social media sleuthing.
It stated that 30% of men and 27% of women are using AI to enhance their online dating profile, pics, and messages online. 45% of men (and 39% of all adults) were contemplating using AI to write a love letter, a significant increase compared to 30% and 26% respectively last year, McAfee stated.
Steps To Protect Yourself From Date Scams
Here are some of the practices you can take up to protect yourselves from scammers:
- Avoid Sharing Personal Information: Avoid sharing important personal information such as your home address or phone number with anyone you just met on a dating app as these details can be misused later.
- Scrutinise Messages: Be wary of generic or AI-generated messages from love interests on dating apps or social media. Avoid clicking on links from unknown contacts.
- Reverse Image Search: Use reverse image search on profile pictures to verify the authenticity of your love interest. Discrepancies in names or details can indicate a scammer.
- Avoid Sending Money: Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person, regardless of their generosity.
- Consult Trusted Friends: Discuss your new love interest with someone you trust. They may notice red flags you overlooked.
Taking these precautions can help you avoid financial and emotional harm.
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