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Authorities urge users to exercise caution and verify a match's intentions before agreeing to meet in person.
The scam, exposed by Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj on X (formerly known as Twitter), has raised serious concerns about the safety of users of platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, Happn and QuackQuack.
A new scam involving dating apps has emerged in Mumbai, revealing a disturbing trend targeting men. According to reports, victims were paid ranging from Rs 23,000 to Rs 61,000 at upscale nightclubs. The scam, exposed by Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj on X (formerly known as Twitter), has raised serious concerns about the safety of users of platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, Happn and QuackQuack.
According to the Times of India, the scam begins when women are matched with men on these dating apps. They then invite the men to exclusive nightclubs, often under the guise of special parties. Upon arriving at the venue, women would order expensive food that sometimes wasn't even on the menu. After paying a large bill, the women left suddenly with various excuses. These people have had to foot huge bills and, in some cases, faced threats from club staff when protesting.
Authorities urge users to exercise caution and verify a match's intentions before agreeing to meet in person.
Deepika claims the scam is so common that at least 10 men fall victim to it at a club every day. The women involved reportedly received a 15-20% commission on the bill, suggesting it was an organized scheme that may have involved nightclub managers. Despite numerous online complaints from victims, the scam continues to exist at multiple locations in Mumbai.
The Godfather Club in Andheri West has been identified as the main center of these scams, although other venues have also been implicated. Many victims are reluctant to come forward for fear of personal exposure.
Mumbai Police has informed senior officials and the investigation is ongoing. Authorities suspect a widespread network of nightclubs that hired publicists to recruit women who lured men through dating apps.
Similar incidents were also reported from major cities such as Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. In June, a Delhi man was cheated and faced a hefty bill of Rs 1.20 lakh.
