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Mumbai woman conned out of ₹3.37 lakh on Tinder, saved from losing more by alert bank staff
The scammer asked her to pay a total of ₹3.37 lakh through UPI to secure her friend's release, and she paid as instructed.
A 43-year-old woman in Mumbai was allegedly duped of ₹3.37 lakh by a man she had befriended through a dating app, police said on Friday. The complainant, who works as an art director, met a person named `Advait' on Tinder last month and the two started exchanging messages, said a police official.
The man told her that he was abroad, and would be visiting Mumbai on September 16 to meet her. On that date, the woman received a call from a person who claimed to be a Delhi customs official and told her that her friend Advait was caught at the airport with thousands of Euros on him. (Also Read: 12 men fall prey to Mumbai dating scam, one pays over ₹61,000: 'Trap laid through Tinder, Bumble')
The so-called official asked her to pay a total of ₹3.37 lakh through UPI to secure her friend's release, and she paid as instructed, the woman stated in her complaint. The caller later asked her to deposit another ₹4.99 lakh in a bank account.
When she went to her bank for transferring the money, an official there asked her the reason, and alerted her after sensing that she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud. A case of cheating was registered at Versova police station against unidentified fraudsters and probe was on, the police official said. (Also Read: 'Desperate times': B'luru woman joins Tinder, Hinge only to find potential flatmates)
Earlier, a 33-year-old Malad resident was defrauded of ₹2.45 lakh by a man she met through a dating app. The man identified himself as a doctor from the United Kingdom (UK) and informed her that he was visiting India and was caught up at the customs department. He promised to pay her back when he was done.
