In yet another case of cyber fraud targeting vulnerable individuals, a 63-year-old man from Horamavu, East Bengaluru, has reportedly lost over Rs 32 lakh to an online dating scam orchestrated by cybercriminals posing as agents of a premium matchmaking service. According to the East CEN Crime Police, the scam took place between September 5 and October 18.
Bengaluru Man Duped In ‘High-society Women’ Scam
The victim, whose identity has been withheld for privacy reasons, stated in his complaint that he was first contacted by a person claiming to represent an exclusive dating agency that arranged introductions with “high-society women”, as per a report on Times of India. He was initially asked to pay a registration fee of Rs 1,950, which he transferred online.
Soon after, he was sent photographs of three women via WhatsApp and asked to select one for a match. He chose a woman identified as “Ritika”, who was introduced as his potential companion. The two began conversing regularly, with the chats becoming increasingly personal. Ritika eventually told him she wished to meet in person.
Just before the Dasara festival, Ritika claimed she would be traveling to visit her family and advised him not to contact her for a few days. During that period, another woman identifying herself as “Priti” called the victim, claiming to be arranging the meeting and requesting multiple payments for “coordination and service charges.” She provided three different bank accounts, into which the victim transferred money in stages, believing the meeting was imminent.
In total, he sent over Rs 32 lakh, after which all communication abruptly stopped. Realizing he had been deceived, the victim filed a police complaint on October 23. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with cheating. Police are currently tracing the bank transactions and phone numbers linked to the fraud.
Authorities urge the public to verify online services thoroughly and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unverified sources.
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