A Vizag youngster, working with an MNC in the city, recently approached the cybercrime police after being duped of Rs 18 lakh on a fake dating website. The case brought to light a chain of fraudsters who were employing women on the dating website to lure and cheat men across the country.
Busting the sensational racket, the cybercrime wing of Vizag police traced the 26-member honey trap gang to Kolkata and took it into custody with the help of local police. The police seized 3 laptops, about 50 mobiles, and 48 bank accounts after arresting the accused in Kolkata.
As per the police, the gang operated a number of offices in Kolkata and assured women of high-rewarding benefits if they joined the gang. The women were instructed to lure men over the phone and trick them into depositing money. The gang, which included 23 women working at a call centre, targeted unsuspicious youngsters by uploading fake profiles on the online portal. Enticing them to pay hefty registration fees by offering certain privileges, through various categories, the gang succeeded in duping several men.
Reportedly, the youngster from Vizag, after registering on the fake dating website, received a call from one of the gang members. The victim was told that he would be allowed to meet the women on the site only after he paid a ‘refundable deposit’ of Rs 4 lakh. Falling for similar baits one after another, the man ended up paying a sum of Rs 18 lakh to the ones operating the honey trap.
With the racket being spread all across India, the money swindled from the victims is suspected to amount to several crores of rupees.
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