Mumbai Crime News: 20-Year-Old Woman's Morphed Photos Circulated After Falling Prey To Fake Loan App Scam; Case Registered

Mumbai: A 20-year-old woman from Bhagat Singh Nagar in Goregaon fell prey to a disturbing cyber fraud, wherein her morphed obscene photos were circulated among her contacts (friends and relatives) even though she never took a loan through the app she downloaded.

About The Case

On June 10, the young woman was searching for quick loan apps online as her father urgently needed Rs 15,000. Based on a video she had seen on YouTube about instant loan apps, she downloaded GoldSalon. While installing it, she granted all required permissions and entered personal details like her Kotak Bank account number, IFSC code, Aadhaar, and PAN card information.

Soon after, she received a message saying her loan request was rejected, following which she deleted the app from her phone. On June 18, she received a threatening message from an unknown number demanding repayment of Rs 15,000 allegedly borrowed through the app. When she called the sender to clarify that she had never taken any loan, the person insisted she share her bank statement, which she refused.

Minutes later, the scammer sent her morphed obscene photos featuring her and her father, threatening to circulate them if she didn’t pay Rs15,000 immediately. The photos were allegedly created by hacking into her phone and misusing her images. Soon after, friends and relatives began receiving the photos via WhatsApp, causing the young woman immense distress and humiliation.

The victim filed a complaint at the MHB police station. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under various sections of the Information Technology Act (ITA).