Bengaluru Man Duped of ₹44 Lakh in Fake Crypto Romance Scam on Instagram

A man in western Bengaluru fell victim to a costly scam, losing ₹44 lakh after developing an online relationship with a woman posing as "Archana" on Instagram. The fraud began when she introduced him to a fake Bitcoin investment platform.

Love Turns into an Investment Trap
According to Karnataka’s cybercrime division, the victim exchanged messages with "Archana" for several days before she sent him a link to a counterfeit Bitcoin site promising high returns. Initially, he made small deposits, encouraged by the platform's fake profits. However, when he attempted to withdraw his earnings, the site demanded additional payments to "unlock" the funds, and communication abruptly stopped.

A Growing Trend
This case is not unique; similar scams have emerged across the country. Two men in Mumbai lost ₹74 lakh in comparable schemes, while another Bengaluru businessman was conned out of ₹38.8 lakh through an "invest and earn" scam.

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