In a stunning incident, a 27-year-old man working at a BPO in Bengaluru misplaced ₹1.7 lakh to cyber fraudsters after falling for a lure on an LGBTQ relationship app, reported The Instances of India.
Bengaluru man misplaced ₹1.7L after falling for a story in LGBTQ relationship app. (Representational Picture/Pixabay)
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How the rip-off unfolded?
Based on the report, the sufferer created an account on Grindr just a few months in the past. In January this yr, he linked with a profile named Randy Armstrong, who claimed to be a US-based heart specialist. The 2 began chatting, and Armstrong shared an emotional backstory, saying he had misplaced his mother and father on the age of 15 and was working at a reputed hospital.
Moved by the story, the sufferer engaged in deeper conversations with Armstrong and even spoke concerning the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. He invited Armstrong to go to India for the occasion so they may meet in individual. On February 1, Armstrong knowledgeable him that he was flying to India and despatched him a picture of a flight ticket to Delhi, stating there was no direct flight to Bengaluru from the US.
As he eagerly awaited Armstrong’s arrival, he acquired a name from an unknown quantity on that day. The caller, a lady introducing herself as Shashikala, claimed to be a customs officer at Delhi airport. She knowledgeable him that Armstrong had been detained for carrying $2.5 lakh, an quantity that was allegedly unlawful below Indian legislation. The officer demanded that Armstrong pay tax and different costs to keep away from authorized bother. Moments later, Armstrong himself spoke on the identical quantity, sounding distressed and pleaded the sufferer to assist him out, claiming he had no different solution to get via customs. When Satish expressed his incapability to supply monetary help, Armstrong threatened to take his personal life.
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Initially, the fraudsters demanded ₹75,000. Struggling to rearrange the sum, the person borrowed cash from a web based mortgage app and transferred the quantity by way of a digital fee platform. Nonetheless, after a while, Shashikala referred to as once more, asking for a further ₹1 lakh to finish the method. Although he hesitated, Armstrong as soon as once more emotionally blackmailed him, promising to repay the cash as soon as he reached Bengaluru with the {dollars}. Caught within the second, the sufferer took one other mortgage and borrowed from buddies to ship the second fee.
When one more demand for cash adopted, he grew suspicious. He tried calling Armstrong, solely to search out the quantity switched off. Realizing he had been duped, he was initially reluctant to report the fraud because of worry of social stigma. Nonetheless, with the help of his sister and shut buddies, he lastly filed a police criticism on the finish of February.
A police officer dealing with the case instructed the publication that by the point the criticism was lodged, the cash had already been transferred to mule accounts and withdrawn by the fraudsters. A case has been registered below the Info Expertise Act. Authorities have warned customers of relationship apps to stay cautious and keep away from making monetary transactions with individuals they haven’t met in individual.