Manikonda man loses Rs 3.28 lakh in dating app sextortion scam

A 23-year-old private company employee residing in Manikonda, Hyderabad, was defrauded of Rs 3,28,500 after falling victim to a dating app sextortion scam. The Cyberabad cybercrime police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched a formal investigation into the case to identify the culprits.

The scam began when an unknown woman befriended the Manikonda resident on a dating application. According to the complaint lodged with the Cyberabad cybercrime police, the woman subsequently initiated a video call with the victim. During the call, the woman appeared in a state of undress and convinced the victim to remove his clothes.

Without the victim's knowledge, the suspect secretly recorded the video call and captured screenshots of the intimate interaction. The fraudster then used the recorded footage to blackmail the victim, threatening to upload the intimate content and circulate it widely on social media.

The suspect specifically threatened to share the intimate media files with the victim's Instagram followers unless he transferred money to her. Fearing public humiliation, the victim succumbed to the blackmail and transferred a total of Rs 3,28,500 into various bank accounts provided by the fraudster.

However, the extortion did not stop after the initial payments. The accused demanded an additional Rs 1.70 lakh from the victim. To pressure him further, the suspect repeatedly called the victim and went on to share some of the intimate photographs with a few of his Instagram followers.

Unable to cope with the ongoing harassment and extortion, the victim approached the Cyberabad cybercrime sleuths for assistance. The police registered an FIR and launched an investigation. The cybercrime police are currently probing the roles of the WhatsApp number and the Instagram account that were used by the suspect during the commission of the crime.