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The right of the swipe has become an expensive trap for many in India, where Grindle and other dating apps serve as the basis for fraudster stalkers who spin fake profiles, sobs and crushed promises. This deception shows that it attacks the LGBTQ community the most violently, demonstrating hundreds of people being deceived each year.

These scam tricks unfold when LGBTQ users connect with Grindr or Tinder matches and claim someone comes from the US or Europe, and the text induces perfect romance. They flew to India to meet them, but they say, customs officials at the airport detained them to carry a wad of foreign cash. A desperate plea continues. You send money to settle the fine and take a blank vow to declare a repayment once released.

The dating app has tightened its policy to shield users, but Tinder’s parent company Match Group has launched a campaign with in-app tips to find Tinder, Hinge, Match, abundance of fish, and scams. Delhi Police On January 11, he defeated a gang that targeted gay men on Tinder, invited them with fake profiles, promised a desire to share, then took them hostage and forced them to cash. The minor was one of five people arrested by authorities.

India decriminalized homosexuality in 2018, but prolonged social stigma still marks LGBTQ people as the main targets for app scammer dating.

Noida police In Uttar Pradesh, in 2020 at least 10 experts dismantled honey-stowed gangs on gay dating apps, two of whom took $500 and $1,700 respectively. In the same year, it was Gurugram Police in Haryana, its bustling high-tech and financial hub, that grabbed another gang that preyed on more than 50 users of the same app.

Scammers often dig deeper and draw out the home address, job details and family connections from the target. But activists should note that most of them don’t come to the police. Police are silent on India’s solid conservative practices that allow catfish to escape and target more people.

28 years old Gay man In Mumbai, he fell prey to a dating app scam in March 2024, losing nearly $11,000 to a man pretending to be a Texas-based doctor.

After stealing friendship online, the con man promised an expensive watch as a gift. He promised to call the next day, claiming he was detained for carrying large amounts of foreign currency at the airport in Delhi. A while later, a customs officer named Priya demanded a tax of $859 to secure his release. According to the Indian Express, the victims earned around $11,000 a month, which began as a single payment spiraled into the financial deep by.

“These cases have been grabbing headlines recently. The con artists create fake profiles, build trust with their targets, attack them with the demands of great terr, and threaten their family and friends, said Ankit Bhuptani, an LGBTQ activist who founded the Queer Hindu Alliance.

“Even though the Supreme Court overthrew a portion of Section 377 in 2018 and decriminalized homosexuality, the reality on earth is that acceptance is not universal,” added Bhuptani. “Families and communities are still tough, and these scammers weaponize their vulnerabilities. The fact that arrests have been made, like the recent busts in Ghaziabad and Noida, shows that the police are acting, but the persistence of these scams tells us that we have a long way to go.”

Bhuptani pointed out that a mix of technical, social and legal challenges burns these scams. He said scammers will thrive as dating apps could become Wild West. Fake accounts are easy to set up, and AI tools are even more convincing.

“I’ve heard of a case in which the victim lost Rs 10,000 (thousands of US$) like that guy in Ghaziabad who was blackmailed for 1.4 lacs ($1,700) after being filmed in a compromised situation. “Emotional sacrifice is as bad as a financial hit. Imagine the fear of being kicked out in a society where many still see it as taboo and gay.”

Bhuptani argues that India’s legal framework is ready to tackle dating app fraud and refers to constitutional protections. Navtej Johar’s verdictIn 2018, homosexuality was decriminalized and strengthened. He said that blackmail and fear tor already fall under Indian Criminal Code sections 383 and 384, and that IT law can pin scammers for online fraud and identity theft.

“The problem is not the law. It’s enforcement and awareness. Police need better training to handle oddly specific cases with sensitivity, and dating apps have to step up. Think about stricter verification, AI flags in suspicious profiles, user education on discovering red flags. “But the law alone won’t fix this. Society has to change. As long as LGBTQ carries stigma, con artists have leverage. We need campaigns (loud, bold).

Pune policeMeanwhile, on February 27, he filed his first information report against a gang who threatened a gay man on a dating app, bleeding him for $1,248 in five months.