Visakhapatnam: Techie Falls Victim to Rs 28 Lakh Online Dating Scam

Andhra Pradesh: In Visakhapatnam, an engineering graduate fell victim to a cyber scam, losing Rs 28 lakh to online fraudsters. Following his complaint, the Vizag city police apprehended one member of a three-person gang involved in deceiving young men through fake online friendships and dating schemes, as reported by the Deccan Chronicle. The arrested individual, identified as Kommagoni Lokesh, 25, hails from Narketpalli in the Nalgonda district of Telangana.

The authorities are currently on the lookout for the other two suspects, P Sai Dheeraj and Maikol Shalini, both residents of Hyderabad. According to K Bhavani Prasad, Inspector of the Cybercrimes Police Station, the most recent victim was an unmarried mechanical engineer from Vizag, who lost over Rs 28 lakh in this dating scam.

Inspector Prasad explained that this type of cyber fraud involves scammers creating fake profiles on dating websites or apps, often featuring attractive photos of women, to lure unsuspecting individuals. Once contact is established, the fraudsters engage in frequent and intimate communication to build trust and form an emotional connection with the victims.

After gaining their trust, the scammers concoct elaborate stories to request money from the victims. Following the transfer of funds, the fraudsters resort to blackmail, using personal information and compromising photos shared during the fake relationship to extort more money from the victims.