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The Hyderabad police have cautioned women to be wary of an online scam that offers a ‘fake boyfriend’ on ‘rent’, charging money for coffee dates, movie dates, accompanying for shopping, events, etc. Hyderabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar said that this was a new ‘dating trap’ set by cyber fraudsters.
The Commissioner said that posters were being circulated on Instagram, Telegram, and Facebook, featuring discount packages with captions such as "1st August Special - 50% OFF" and "Rent-a-Boyfriend – Your Personal Companion."
He shared an example of one such poster, which listed charges from Rs 499 for a coffee date to Rs 4,499 to hire a person to pretend to be a boyfriend for an entire day.
“Displaying photos of attractive young men, the scammers present a detailed price list: Rs 499 for a one-hour coffee meeting, Rs 1,249 for a movie date, Rs 1,499 for a shopping companion, Rs 1,999 to accompany you to events or weddings, and Rs 4,499 for a full 10-hour package. They assure potential clients of complete privacy and safety, claiming the service is legitimate and not involved in any illegal activities, while urging interested women to send a direct message to book,” the Commissioner said.
He pointed out that the fraudsters use AI-generated images of men as profile pictures to text women, and collect thousands of rupees via digital wallets and QR codes under the guise of booking confirmations, security deposits, or advance payments, only to block the accounts afterward.
The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police is actively monitoring such fraudulent advertisements, he said.
The police have asked any victims of such cyber fraud to call the cyber crime helpline at 1930 or file a complaint on the http://cybercrime.gov.in portal.
