A young software professional has been the victim of a horrific scam in the hope of building a relationship through a dating app. The 22-year-old cloud engineer, a resident of the Ejipura area of Bengaluru, fell victim to a generative AI-powered sextortion scam.
Unknowingly, he was communicating with a deepfake ‘girlfriend’. He lost a total of Rs 1.5 lakh in this scam. After the incident came to light, new concerns have arisen about cybersecurity.
Dating App Introduction
The victim said that in early January, he opened a profile on a dating app called ‘Happn‘. His intention was to build a new and real relationship. On January 5, he was matched with a profile named ‘Ishani’. Initially, general conversations and some personal information were exchanged.
Later, the conversation moved to WhatsApp. From here, the situation gradually took a dangerous turn.
Trap in a Video Call
On the same day, the victim received a video call from the woman’s number. During the call, the woman spoke intimately and slowly tempted him to undress. He did not realize that the entire call was being secretly recorded. Shortly after the call ended, threatening messages started coming. The video was threatened to be shared with friends and acquaintances. This left the young man in extreme panic.
Pressure to Collect Money
Fearful, he initially sent Rs 60,000. However, this did not stop the fraudsters’ demands, but rather increased. Later, with the help of a friend, he sent another Rs 93,000. This money was transferred to a bank account and two UPI IDs.
All the transactions were completed by 4:30 pm on January 6. Still, the fraudsters continued to pressurize him for more money.
Approaching the Police
Under extreme mental stress, the victim finally told her close friends about the matter. On their advice, she filed a complaint with the police. The Central Cyber Crime Police Station registered a case under Section 308 of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code.
Police say it is a planned AI-based sextortion. An investigation has been launched to identify the accused.
AI Crimes are on the Rise
The initial idea of the police is that the fraudsters used a video of a woman created by artificial intelligence. Many people believe that the person on the video call is real. This misconception is giving criminals an opportunity. Police have warned that such incidents are increasing around dating apps in recent times. They have urged people to be extremely careful when communicating with strangers online.
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