Bengaluru divorcee seeking life partner on dating app loses Rs 21 lakh

BENGALURU: If you're among those searching for a partner on a dating app, beware of cybercrooks who fleece money after making false promises of dating and marriage. A 40-year-old divorced man, who tried finding a new life partner through one such app, ended up losing Rs 21 lakh in an investment fraud recently.
Pranav (name changed), a resident of Ramamurthynagar, stated in his complaint to East CEN crime police that he got divorced in April this year and was depressed because of the separation from his six-year-old daughter. His friends and colleagues advised him to find a new partner through dating apps.
He downloaded the app called ‘Ur My Type' and completed his profile with pictures. He received a message (‘Hi, how are you?') from one Mitra on April 23. He responded to the message and introduced himself. Mitra told him she too was divorced and was looking for friends.
She shared her Telegram ID and asked him to text her there. Accordingly, they started chatting and even talking via Telegram. As the days passed, she showed interest in marrying him. She said her online name was Mitra, but her actual name was Sarah Sharma and she was from Mumbai.
Pranav shared with her details of his loans, explaining that he was hoping to find a new job so he could clear them soon. She enquired if he had any additional income, and he replied in the negative.
Promise of marriage
She then told him she was into forex trading and it was very profitable. She suggested he also get into trading to overcome his financial problems. He was reluctant but she convinced him by saying she would be with him during the ups and downs of his life. She said her aim was to marry him after Feb 2025, but before that, she wanted him to clear all his loans, save some money, and meet her parents for marriage talks.
After she sent him a link to a trading platform called Admiral Markets on June 17, he verified the name online and found it was a genuine brokerage firm. Pranav created a trading account in the name of his mother, his lucky charm.
Sarah sent another link claiming to be that of customer service and asked him to contact them. They gave him an account named ‘Shree Shyam Traders and Company'. He made his younger sister transfer Rs 50,000 on the same day. He was given a profit of Rs 4,800. Later, he didn't trade for a month, but Sarah continued to chat with him.
She asked him to invest more money to make big profits. Trusting her, he took loans and invested. When he wasn't able to withdraw his money, the customer service staff told him he needed to pay 30% tax on the profit. He took another loan on his car and arranged Rs 55,000, while Sarah claimed she had paid Rs 3 lakh on his behalf. Later, they asked him to deposit 35% of his profits and he would get back all his money in 24 hours.
Pranav suspected something amiss and tried to contact Sarah, who didn't respond to his chats or calls on Telegram. He had invested Rs 21 lakh between June 17 and Sept 21. He realised the fraudsters had used the logo of a genuine company and created a fake URL and trading platform.
A senior police officer said a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS Section 318 (cheating).