A quiet Sunday night started with just a quick tap on a screen. Yet that small moment spiraled into panic, stolen money and deep distress for a young man from Bengaluru who is now twenty six. This case shows how digital threats are shifting – now shaped by smart machines making deception harder to spot.
A fresh match appeared one night, just as he began wondering if anything real could come from swiping. The city hummed outside his window while he sat up late, phone glowing. Not every chat led anywhere, yet this one carried something different. Her name was Ishani. Their messages didn’t rush. Time passed without pressure. A quiet shift happened, unnoticed at first. Routine cracked open, ever so slightly.
Out of nowhere, talk came easily between them. Once they had swapped contact info, messages shifted over to WhatsApp. Each day brought another exchange – work pressures here, beloved films there, moments of hardship too, plus that odd sense of isolation even when surrounded by people. Things unfolded at their own pace. Slowly, confidence grew, giving everything an honest ring.
Simple Game Becomes Bad Dream
A police report says the online profile seemed totally real – nice photos, kind words, that calm inviting voice. Not long after, she asked for a video chat. He accepted the call. On camera, she was naked, pushing him to take his clothes off too.
He agreed, surprised yet comforted by what they already shared. Without his knowledge, someone was recording every word.
Right then, once the phone went silent, everything people said took a sharp turn.
A strange message lit up his screen one evening. Images and videos of him appeared out of nowhere. Each file arrived with a cold warning attached. Pay right away – or else, the notes said. Family would see everything first. Then friends. Finally, posts online for anyone to find.
Fear gripped him – images of shame in front of others, life unraveling. Money started moving because of that pressure.
Rs 1.53 Lakh Paid Under Threat
A report says the victim moved sixty thousand rupees out of his HDFC account. After more pressure, cash came from a friend – ninety-three thousand then shifted via Kotak Bank. The full amount taken reaches one point five three lakh.
Funds moved across several UPI identifiers before landing in SBM Bank–linked accounts – this path twists the trail, slows tracking. A common move when hiding where cash really goes.
Still paying, yet the harassment continued. Each new call, every message – another demand for cash – until escape felt impossible. Only then did the person walk into Bengaluru Central Police Station to report it.
AI Avatar Used in Scam
What turned up early on surprised even the officers – footage showed the person in the video chat lacked any physical presence.
A fake woman’s face came from software, shaped by code. A cop on the case pointed to that digital mask. Sound matched the image, built by machines. It felt real because tech smoothed every edge. Human-like tones fooled ears. What looked like a person was never alive.
Fake romance traps lure young men into paying up – authorities now trace these scams to an organized online racket.
Deepfakes twist reality while loneliness gets exploited through calculated lies. One manipulated image at a time, trust erodes under false affection built by criminals hiding behind screens.
Police have filed charges using parts of the new legal code along with cyber laws. Following money moves through banks helps uncover where suspects might be hiding online. Investigative units now go over every digital clue left behind after payments were made by phone apps.
Police Warn Dating App Users Again
Folks using dating apps should stay extra careful when talking to people they do not know, police say – again. Though screens hide faces, risks show up real quick. One misstep might lead somewhere unsafe, officers warn. Trust rarely builds fast, yet danger sometimes does.
Messages feel harmless until they are not. Watch what gets shared, authorities suggest. Not every profile tells the truth behind the photo. Assumptions can go wrong without warning. Stay aware even when chats seem friendly. Safety slips easier than most think.
“Do not engage in intimate video calls with unknown persons or share private content. Once recorded, such material becomes a powerful tool for blackmail,” a senior officer warned.
A courtroom decision joins others piling up – each showing how fake versions of real people emerge through smart machines. These digital copies twist trust, slipping past notice until harm takes hold.
Facing sharper tech tricks, officials say staying alert online is still the best shield – after all, the voice behind the message might be nobody at all.
