NEW DELHI: In a rapidly evolving world, dating culture has kept pace, fuelled by technological advancements. The rise of online dating platforms has enabled connections beyond immediate social circles. However, a darker side has emerged: dating app scams that are now a prevalent form of extortion in the national capital.
The Delhi Police has unearthed one such scam in the East District of the national capital based on a complaint from a UPSC (civil services) aspirant, who got a “match” on a popular dating app with a profile named “Versha”. They met and he went out to celebrate her birthday at a café in the Vikas Marg area. They had two pastries and snacks. The girl had four shots of fruit beer, after which she left in a hurry, citing a family emergency.
After she left, the café manager presented the boy with a bill amounting to approximately Rs 120,000 (one lakh twenty thousand). When he disputed the bill, he was threatened, confined, and forced to pay, for which he made an online payment. Later on, feeling scammed, he reported the matter to the local police, who accordingly registered a case under relevant sections.
Based on the complaint, the police formed a team that first questioned a person named Akshay (32) on whose account the said amount was transferred online. Akshay disclosed that the café was owned by four others. He further revealed the real identity and details of the person called Versha—Afsan Parveen alias Aaysha alias Noor (25), who was a resident of Krishna Nagar.
With the help of technical surveillance, Afsan Parveen was apprehended from another café where she had gone on a date with a boy from Mumbai whom she had met through a matrimonial website.
During interrogation, Afsan Parveen disclosed that she communicated with the complainant under a fake name, “Versha”. She shared her photo in a one-time-view mode and invited him to Laxmi Nagar on 23 June for celebrating her birthday.
The bill amount at the café was divided in a fixed ratio: 15% for the girl, 45% for the table and café managers, and the remaining 40% for the owners. The police are on the hunt for the other fraudsters.
The police says that several such scamsters operate in major metropolises like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad to extort money from unsuspecting victims.
These scams involve collusion between café owners, managers, and individuals who trap the victims through dating apps. These individuals, known as “table managers”, create fake profiles on dating apps and lure the victims to the café, where they are overcharged for food and drinks. If the victim refuses to pay, they are threatened, beaten, or confined until they comply. Social stigma often prevents victims from reporting such incidents to the police.
According to Manish, a computer science graduate who works in one of these popular apps, to avoid scams on dating apps, it’s important to take several precautions. First, use reputable apps that have positive reviews and security features like profile verification. Be cautious about sharing personal information, such as your address or financial details. Watch out for red flags, including profiles with incomplete information or overly attractive photos, and be wary of anyone who quickly expresses deep emotions. Never send money or share financial information, regardless of the circumstances. When meeting someone for the first time, choose public places and inform a friend or family member about your plans. Trust your instincts—if something feels off, take precautions. Finally, utilize the app’s reporting features to flag any suspicious or harmful profiles. By following these steps, you can enjoy a safer dating experience.
Although the dating apps have introduced various measures to combat the problem of fake profiles, including a verification badge on the profile and reporting a fake profile, but technically, scammers do not use fake profiles to scam; rather, they use pseudonym profiles to lure the victims. For such profiles, it becomes difficult for the apps to detect pseudo-profiles. Also, since many people use dating apps anonymously, many such scams go unreported.