Honey trappers lurking in masses across sub-urbs and urban cities

An incident involving an civil service aspirant in Delhi highlights the growing prevalence of ‘Tinder scams’ plaguing urban centers like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru

The victim, lured by a Tinder match, Versha, agreed to celebrate her birthday at the Black Mirror Cafe on Vikas Marg in East Delhi. What began as a seemingly ordinary outing turned into a nightmare when Versha abruptly left due to a fabricated family emergency, leaving the victim with a bill amounting to a staggering ₹1.2 lakh. Initially ordering snacks, two cakes, and non-alcoholic drinks, the victim expected a modest bill. However, upon Versha’s departure, he was presented with an exorbitant bill of ₹1,21,917.70. When questioned, the victim was threatened and coerced into paying the inflated amount, which he transferred online to one of the cafe owners, Akshay Pahwa, a resident of Shahdara with limited formal education.

The subsequent police investigation uncovered a sophisticated scam orchestrated by Akshay Pahwa, Vansh Pahwa, and Ansh Grover, owners of the Black Mirror cafe, along with their associates, including Aryan, a table manager and class 7 dropout. Aryan impersonated Versha and initiated contact with the victim through Tinder, using a one-time-view photo feature to maintain anonymity. The entire group fabricated Versha’s sudden departure for a family emergency as part of their scheme. The scam’s financial proceeds were divided in a way that would outrage any victim-with Versha receiving 15%, cafe and table managers sharing 45%, and the owners claiming 40%. Such scams exploit dating apps’ anonymity and social dynamics, often underreported due to associated stigma and fear of embarrassment. This incident underscores the need for vigilance when using online platforms for social interactions, particularly in urban areas where such fraudulent activities are increasingly prevalent.