Mumbai: Dating app woman turns sextortionist, duped man of Rs 10,000

Mumbai: A 25-year-old man from Powai had recently come across a woman on a dating application. In one of the conversations, the said fraud woman then indulged in obscenity and later asked the victim to send money to her. The fraudster also threatened the victim that if he would not pay her the money, she would share the said video with his social media friends.

According to the Parksite police, the complainant is a resident of Powai. On Saturday, when the victim was surfing a dating app, he started receiving messages from a woman who was also on the dating app. The two then began chatting with each other, after which the woman asked the victim his mobile number. After some time, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from the woman.

After the victim answered the call, he could see a woman aged between 22-25 years indulging in obscenity and also asked the victim to get into an obscene act. She then threatened the victim that should he not pay her money, then she would share the said video with his social media friends. The fraudster then asked the victim to pay Rs 20,000 through a QR Code.

The victim managed to send Rs 10,000, but the fraudster kept threatening and demanding for more money. Since the victim did not have money, he asked for more time.

The fraudster then began sending the said objectionable video to the victim's friends and send their screenshots to the victim. Harassed with this, the victim approached the police and got an offence registered in the matter.

The police have registered a case on Sunday under sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) and 67 (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.

Do's and don'ts related to dating apps:

Check if the app or site is authentic. Only sign up if its authenticity, and verified and trusted by Google, Android, or IOS.

The person you are talking to can be anyone. In order to be sure of their identity, verify at a basic level before making any decision.

In case anyone demands money or is notably trying to lure you into a trap, be alert.

Inform the local police immediately in case of suspicion.

Since every police station has a cyber unit, police will be ready to assist in case of any crime.

Published on: Tuesday, November 01, 2022, 06:00 AM IST