Engineer falls prey to fake online romance scam, loses ₹28 lakhs: Here’s how the scam works

A mechanical engineer from Visakhapatnam got scammed of ₹28 lakh in an online scam on a dating app.

Vizag engineer loses 28 lakhs in online dating scam. (Representative image)

A new case of online scam has been reported in Vizag in which a mechanical engineer got duped of money worth Rs. 28 lakh by a fake love interest on a dating app. As per Deccan Chronicle, the online fraud caught attention when the unmarried mechanical engineer lodged a complaint about the losing ₹28 lakh from bank account at the Vizag city police station. 

Following investigation, the  police caught  Kommagoni Lokesh, aged 25, a resident of Narketpalli in Nalgonda district of Telangana who confessed to being one of the scammers among the gang of three members. Reportedly, the three member gang has been behind honey trapping the gullible individuals by making fake profiles on dating apps. Although the case remains under investigation, the police have shared how online scammers are looting people by using the new romance trap.

How the online dating scam works

In this specific case, the online scammers create fake accounts on different dating apps and websites. These fake profiles have appealing pictures of women to attract possible victims. After building contact, scammers capture the victim's interest through regular intimate conversations. They develop emotional connection and gain trust of the victims. 

When it seems the victim has enough trust on the scammers, they share false stories to loot large amounts of money from the trapped victims. In the present case, the scammers tricked the victim into sending an accrued amount of ₹28 lakhs. Once the scammers received the money, they blackmailed the victim using personal details and inappropriate images he sent online during the intimate conversations.

Safety measures for protection

Online romance scams have grown exponentially because of increased usage of social media platforms and dating apps. Such scams are known for financially draining the victims as well as challenging them emotionally. In order to protect themselves from these frauds, it is important that users of dating apps check and verify the profiles of individuals. This can be done by checking profiles through reverse image search. 

The users should also be careful of individuals who quickly profess feelings and try to become connected within a short span of time. It is also advised that users should not share personal details like photos and financial details online with individuals easily.