Bengaluru man duped of ₹1.12 crore in online forex trading scam via dating app: Report

In yet another cybercrime incident, a Bengaluru resident fell victim to an elaborate online trading scam, losing a staggering ₹1.12 crore after engaging with a woman he met on the Happn dating app. The victim, in his complaint to the CEN police, revealed that his interaction with the scammer began on June 28, when he accepted a friend request from one "Leena Jose" on the app, The New Indian Express reported.

The woman quickly moved the conversation to Telegram, where she persuaded the man to invest in Forex trading through a platform called Admiral Market. She guided him to download an app called Wavegptexa, which she claimed was a legitimate trading platform, the report stated.

On July 3, acting on her advice, the complainant made an initial transfer of ₹50,000 to the app. He was then told that larger investments would yield higher profits. Eager for returns, he transferred ₹10 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the scammer.

READ | Divorced Bengaluru man loses ₹21 lakh after finding a new life partner in dating app: Report

Soon, his Wavegptexa account showed a large profit of ₹80 lakh. But when he attempted to withdraw the money, he was told that he first needed to pay 30 per cent of the amount as tax. Believing this to be a legitimate requirement, the man transferred ₹19.26 lakh to multiple accounts, the publication noted.

As the scam progressed, the victim was informed of additional "fees" that needed to be paid. To convert his earnings from dollars to Indian rupees, he was told to pay a 10 per cent bank transaction fee. Following this, he transferred ₹7.36 lakh more.

Despite these payments, when he attempted to withdraw ₹50 lakh, he was told by the scammers that the large sum triggered a "risk control" measure, and to release the funds, he needed to pay 50 per cent of the total amount. Acting under pressure, the victim transferred ₹26.84 lakh.

The scam deepened further as the victim was told that in order to access his funds, he needed to be upgraded to a "VIP client" status. To achieve this, his credit score on the platform had to be raised to 100 per cent. He was then instructed to deposit additional amounts to improve his score. By the time he realized he was being duped, he had transferred funds until September 23, accumulating losses of ₹1.12 crore, the report added.