Dating app fraud costs Gurugram IT employee ₹73.42 lakh

A senior police official at the Cyber Crime Police Station (East) said, the victim filed a complaint stating that the woman pretended to be romantically interested in him. “The man working at an MNC claims to have first opened his account on the dating platform in early August, where he was contacted by the woman,” official added.

Gurugram:A 50-year-old IT professional was defrauded of ₹73.42 lakh after being lured into a fraudulent investment scheme by a woman he met on a dating app, police said on Sunday.

The woman allegedly persuaded him to open an account on the trading platform, promising high returns.

The man, identified as a resident of Jalvayu Vihar in Sector 56, said that his entire life savings were stolen on the pretense of earning big money, said officials.

A senior police official at the Cyber Crime Police Station (East), the victim filed a complaint stating that the woman pretended to be romantically interested in him. “The man working at an MNC claims to have first opened his account on the dating platform in early August, where he was contacted by the woman,” official added.

Police said they soon became close friends and eventually moved their conversation to WhatsApp and video calls.

“In his complaint, the man recalled opening up about his desire to own a mansion in Goa during one of their calls,” said the official.

The woman allegedly exploited this aspiration and persuaded him to open an account on the trading platform, promising high returns.

“The victim was also added in a Telegram group where he received daily updates on investment,” the senior official said, adding that he initially invested a significant amount on August 29.

“After hefty returns, he kept investing his money into the platform and by the end of September, he was entitled to ₹2.04 lakh,” the official said, quoting the complaint. As per the official, when the man tried to withdraw the money, he was asked to deposit another 25% of the overall amount.

“Once he finally refused to pay, the woman he was in touch with again emotionally blackmailed her to reinvest,” the official said. However, days later, he was blocked from both the website and the telegram-based group, as per his complaint submitted to police on Friday.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said an FIR under section 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) was registered at Cyber police station (east) on Saturday. “We are investigating the matter, and the suspects involved in the scam will soon be apprehended,” Turan added.