A new scam alert has emerged in Bengaluru, targeting men on dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. Scammers, posing as women, convince their matches to pay for a fictitious taxi ride in advance and then cease all communication after receiving the money.
A social media post claiming that men in Bengaluru are being duped into paying fictitious taxi costs after connecting with women on apps like Tinder and Bumble has sparked a fresh dating-app fraud alert.
The warning, which was posted on X by user @GharKeKalesh, details a scam that purportedly begins like a typical dating app conversation but ends with the victim sending money for a taxi that could not even be there. The viral message claims that the fraud starts when a match decides to meet in person. The lady allegedly asks the man to organise or pay for her taxi before the date.
At that point, the request may become more persuasive. According to reports, she could urge the man to send the fare straight to the driver prior to the journey, claiming that she feels uneasy giving payment information to a stranger. The purported gimmick is that the request could not be related to a real taxi reservation.
In order to make the payment request appear genuine, scammers are said to fabricate or modify booking information, such as the fare, driver’s identity, and other trip details. The purported match supposedly bans the victim and stops all communication after the money is transferred. Even if the sums involved can be little, recurring frauds can nonetheless cause large losses.
A Look At Viral Post
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Reactions to the warning have been mixed; some users have urged others to see common red signals, while others have made fun of individuals who fell for such scams.
“The woman tells him she doesn’t trust him and then asks him to pay the driver in advance,” one commentator said, pointing out what they saw as a clear warning flag.
“Good, guys who think they can shop girkfriends online deserve this,” said a more critical user.
Some comments focused on the relatively low amounts allegedly requested. One user asked: “Why women always beg for these little amount, are they that broke? Or they just taking dumb people advantage?”
Be Careful
Regardless of the authenticity of the particular viral claim, requests for advance payments from people met online are a recognised warning sign in many forms of digital fraud.
Dating-app users should be particularly careful when a new match suddenly asks for money, transport payments, emergency expenses, gift cards, deposits or other financial assistance before meeting.