Bengaluru man duped of ₹70,000 in dating app sextortion scam, files cybercrime complaint

Fraudsters recorded a private video call and blackmailed the victim, threatening to leak it on social media. The man paid ₹70,000 before seeking help from the cybercrime helpline.

In yet another case highlighting the rise of online sextortion scams, a 25-year-old private firm employee from Adugodi was cheated of ₹70,000 by cyber fraudsters who blackmailed him with an intimate video recording.

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Police said the victim had created a profile on the dating app Happn a few months ago and started chatting with a woman named “Ananya.” After exchanging numbers, the two began conversing on WhatsApp and later engaged in intimate chats. On September 4, the woman reportedly made a WhatsApp video call, stripped on camera, and convinced the victim to remove his clothes as well.

Unknown to him, the entire video call was recorded by the fraudsters. Soon after, they began threatening to upload the nude video clip on social media platforms, including Instagram, if he did not pay up. Fearful of public humiliation, the man initially transferred ₹30,000 to a bank account shared by the fraudsters.

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However, the blackmail did not stop there, they demanded more money, ultimately extorting ₹70,000 in total. Realising he was being continuously fleeced, the victim turned to friends for advice and was encouraged to seek official help. He then dialed cybercrime helpline 1930 and filed a formal complaint.