In India, a new wave of scams has appeared in which men are targeted by women who trap them through dating apps, and then exploit them financially, often in connivance with some bar or pub owners. Several such incidents have been reported in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai, raising concerns about the credibility of dating apps. Similar instances have recently appeared in the financial capital of India, one of the most vibrant cities in Maharashtra, the city of Mumbai.
Midday Media House recently conducted a sting operation in the case after several people complained about being duped at the hands of online dates in Mumbai. This is after Midday reported one such scam case in July 2024. Three women had befriended three different men from Mumbai and had asked them to meet at the Red Room pub in Andheri. The women in every case place heavy orders including expensive drinks and hookah leading the bills to cost Rs 8,800, Rs 24,000, and Rs 43,000. In each case, the women escaped to the washroom or went home when the bill arrived forcing the men to pay hefty amounts.
🚨 MUMBAI DATING SCAM ALERT 🚨
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) July 18, 2024
THE RED ROOM ANDHERI WEST
◾1 club, different names, daily trapping
◾6 victims in touch, scammed at same club
◾Trap laid through Tinder, Happn
◾Bill amounts of 23K, 33K, 43K@MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice @mymalishka @CMOMaharashtra@zomato pic.twitter.com/raSIt2jRHE
The modus operandi of these scams has been uncovered by Midday, which says that women open their accounts on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, etc, and match with people. Then they ask their matches to meet at clubs or pubs with which they already have tie-ups. The women make heavy orders. They order premium drinks, imported hookahs, and pyro guns which are seen as entertainment in such clubs. They lure the men into conversations and suggestive flirting but abscond after making sure the pub or bar profits heavily from the men.
The bill always costs way more than usually expected by the customers then terrifies the men who request for the bill splits. But by the time, the girl starts making the build-up for escaping. She either claims that she has to go home given her parents’ frequent calls or she goes to the washrooms, obviously to never return. The detailed investigation by Midday claims that these women have tie-ups with the waiters or the club managers who help them escape from the spot safely. The hotel staffers then target the men to pay heavy bills and even assault them sometimes if they seek discounts or say that they don’t have that huge sum to pay. The women who brought the men to the clubs are then awarded 15-20% of the bill amount by the staffers.
Mumbai-based men’s activist Deepka Narayan Bharadwaj confirmed the scam by saying that this kind of scam had now become very common in Mumbai. “Several men have reached out to me, reporting that they’ve been scammed. Many of these men filed complaints with the police, but no action was taken. Now, there’s a growing number of victims who are being scammed at the Godfather Club in Andheri, with new cases emerging almost daily. In many instances, these men have been scammed by the same set of women,” she said.
She also shared one such instance on her X account. She said that one of the clubs in Mumbai named the Godfather Club in Andheri had issued men bills amounting to Rs 22,080 (including cocktail Rs 5000, Blue Label whiskey, Rs 10000, Red Bull drink Rs 1798, and mineral water Rs 200), Rs 35,949 (including Blue Lable whiskey Rs 19,992 and cocktail Rs 5,000), Rs 48,996 (including Rs 17,994 of ‘entertainment’) and Rs 61,743 (including Blue Label Whiskey Rs 39,984) respectively.
Bharadwaj stated that she was in touch with 12 such victims who were forced to pay heavy bills by the women they met on Tinder and Bumble.
🚨 MUMBAI DATING SCAM EXPOSE 🚨
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) August 23, 2024
THE GODFATHER CLUB ANDHERI WEST
◾BRAZEN SCAMMING EVERYDAY
◾12 victims in touch
◾Trap laid through Tinder, Bumble
◾Bill amounts 23K- 61K
◾3 men trapped by same girl@MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice @mymalishka @CMOMaharashtra@zomato pic.twitter.com/qGOacFCE9f
She’s a girl—how could we stop her? Club Manager played women’s card, allowed her to go without paying the bill
Midday planted some of their male reporters on these dating apps who began receiving a flood of matches within 24 hours of account opening. The men were then paired with some of the female matches who requested them to meet at fancy places claiming that they (women) would be going to the club for the first time. One of the reporters matched with one Mehak, whose profile name on Bumble is ‘S, 26’. Her bio mentioned that she had completed a nail art course and liked meeting new friends. She also said that she was interested in nightclubs and wines.
The duo talked for a week on WhatsApp after which the woman asked the undercover reporter to meet her for the first time at Satra Plaza in Vashi on August 7th. Interestingly, the team sent another reporter for the date with Mehak which did not bother her. She eventually told the man that she liked him and pretended to be attending calls from her ‘parents’ throughout the entire date. She took him to the Vente Pa’Ca club in Satra Plaza where she ordered a bottle of Jacob’s Creek Shiraz wine priced at Rs 8,499 and a ‘Dubai special hookah’ costing Rs 2,499 as well as pizza and paneer tandoori. She then began dancing with the reporter and indicated that it was her first time at the club. However, after some time, she said she was getting calls from home and that she needed to leave. She then informed the waiter, who presented a bill of Rs 13,792.
The reporter informed me that he didn’t have that huge amount to pay for the bill. Mehak meanwhile asked him to arrange it from somewhere. She escaped with the manager who held the reporter for money. “I met this girl on a dating app, and she brought me to this club. I can’t pay such a huge bill,” the reporter told the manager and asked how the latter allowed the woman to go without paying the bill. To this, the manager played the women’s card and said, “She told us that she was getting late and was receiving calls from home. She’s a girl—how could we stop her?” The reporter was forced to pay the amount.
The beautician said was out of money as had recently done a bridal beauty course
On another such investigative date, another reporter matched one Muskan, a so-called beautician on Tinder who asked him to meet her at Crystal Paradise in Andheri West on August 1. She then took him to the Godfather Club where she asked the waiter to bring two Blue Label whiskies (30 ml) and a hookah. She also made requests for a couple of pyro guns, costing each Rs 3000. The reporter first asked the waiter how much it would cost. On learning that he was being duped to pay Rs 6,000 just for guns, he asked Muskan to order one saying they were too expensive. But, the woman insisted saying that she liked him and that she wanted to blow them with him.
The guns were ordered. The waiter also recorded the video of the duo as they ‘enjoyed’ the pyro guns. But as per Midday, the waiter made sure that the face of the woman wasn’t seen in the video.
Apart from this, the woman kept on making constant orders leading the bill to cost Rs 30,000. This terrified the undercover reporter who asked Muskan to chip in as the bill was too heavy. To this, Muskan simply said that she was short of money as she was jobless and had just completed a bridal beauty course.
Muskan then refused to take selfies with the reporter, claiming she needed to go home since she was receiving calls from her parents. The reporter offered to take her home, but she declined and took an auto rickshaw to MHADA Colony in Andheri. The woman had no idea that her stated adress was in the opposite direction when she directed the auto driver to the railway station.
The reporters met two other similar women at Godfather Club & Lounge, Andheri West, and Matahaari nightclub, Worli where they were forced to pay Rs 26,570 and Rs 20,000 respectively. In one of the cases, the woman claimed that she was in a hurry and had to rush home and was seen in the same club with some other man she had planned to dupe. And in another similar case, the woman reappeared with a fake name on Tinder planning to trap another date.
Same club, same order, same women: Organized Syndicate?
It’s intriguing that many ladies are taking men to the same club, and the scamming routine is consistent. They order the same pricey items to inflate the costs and then leave as soon as the bill arrives. Even more distressing, some males have been physically beaten by bouncers after objecting to the excessive prices. “Why are the bouncers resorting to violence rather than contacting the police if there is a payment problem? Why do they let the women simply walk out? If two persons enter the club together, why is only the male cornered if the staff isn’t involved in the scheme?” asked Advocate Bharadwaj raising the concerns of men safety.
“This appears to be an organized syndicate, and it’s imperative that the police investigate it thoroughly. Many victims have lodged cyber complaints, and the internet is filled with reviews exposing these scams. It’s disheartening that despite widespread awareness, the police seem indifferent, possibly because women are at the forefront of these scams,” she said.
As per the Midday, the legal remedy is to register an FIR under Sections 318 and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers cheating and impersonation. Victims should not hesitate to complain against the proprietor of the restaurant and the woman, as the police will investigate the situation and take the necessary action if required.
Restaurant owners refuse to accept tie-ups
Midday has done an alarming investigation into the case. In spite of this, several restaurant owners who issue heavy bills have refused to the charges of having tie-ups with the women who bring customers to the clubs. The Godfather’s management maintained they had no involvement in the scam and were ignorant of such actions taking place on their premises. However, the reporter witnessed customers and workers squabbling over bills. Furthermore, numerous internet reviewers have accused the pub of being a part of the hoax.
The management also claimed that no complaints had been filed against them with the police station. Further, when asked why hookahs were being offered despite being illegal, they claimed they provide only herbal hookahs, which are legal, but had no explanation for why it was being sold as a cocktail.
“People visit our club as couples and in groups. We do not charge an entry fee. We do not have information about where our guests are coming from or if the girls are from dating sites. We provide genuine bills to our customers,” the manager of Vente Pa’Ca was quoted as saying.
Conclusion: Instances causing general distrust towards society
These kinds of online dating scams being operated by alleged organized syndicates should stop as the victims in such cases often suffer significant emotional distress along with massive financial loss. In many cases, victims experience feelings of betrayal, embarrassment, and despair when they discover they have been duped by someone they liked, respected, and trusted to a certain level. This emotional manipulation can have long-term psychological consequences resulting in anxiety, depression, and a lack of trust towards society.
Further, financial exploitation can affect the victim if he/she already is vulnerable money-wise. Not only men, but several females have also fallen prey to such scams. People these days use online dating platforms to find themselves a potential partner from their vicinity. They trust these platforms considering them to be a viable way to meet new people. However, such scams degrade the very purpose of these platforms developing general distrust towards the purpose.
These instances also create a negative impact on the societal mindset by fostering an environment of fear and suspicion. They have complete potential to undermine the sense of community and safety that is essential to constructive interpersonal connections, both online and offline. Not only women, but every genuine individual in today’s age deserves to be protected, given the unsafe use of the internet resulting in criminal acts like honey trapping, phishing, identity theft, credit card fraud, employment fraud, and this, online dating fraud. Any victim duped for money through the internet, especially in honey-trapping and online dating scam cases shall not feel embarrassed, but report to the police, who shall book the concerned accused under the relevant law. Society should also instead of cornering the victims for falling for such incidents, help them, and assure them safety and privacy. After all, it is every internet user’s responsibility to support a healthier and safer online community for everyone.
