Social
Romance and friendship fraud
A long online friendship leads to a gift stuck at customs, a medical emergency, or an investment tip.
Warning signs
- Never available for a video call
- Any conversation ending in a money request
Who is targeted most
People who are single, widowed, or recently separated, across all age groups.
How the fraud works
Contact begins on a dating app, a social platform, or as a wrong-number message that turns into daily conversation. The relationship is built patiently over weeks before money is ever mentioned.
The request then arrives as a story with urgency and shame attached: a gift parcel held at customs, a hospital bill, a visa deposit, or a private investment opportunity shared 'only with you'.
The usual sequence
- 1Long, attentive conversation builds over weeks.
- 2A plausible reason prevents meeting or video calling.
- 3A crisis or an opportunity is introduced.
- 4A first small transfer is requested and often repaid.
- 5Larger amounts follow, with guilt used if you hesitate.
How to protect yourself
- Never send money to someone you have not met in person.
- Reverse-search the profile photographs.
- Tell one person you trust about the relationship early.
Comment rules
- Do not share bank details, OTPs, card numbers, Aadhaar or complaint numbers.
- Do not name or accuse individuals. Make official reports at cybercrime.gov.in.
- Comments are reviewed before publication. Never pay anyone who offers to recover your money.