A recent incident exemplifies this threat clearly. A 42-year-old man, identified in reports as Jagdish C, was defrauded of more than ₹1.29 crore by a woman he met on the dating application QuackQuack and her associates. (Image Source: File)
Romance in India has changed dramatically, with millions now logging on in search of their perfect match. Simplifying the process of meeting new people, online dating apps have become a popular platform.
Unfortunately, this ease often gets overshadowed by an alarming rise in smart scams. Having started a relationship with hope, sometimes that connection is actually an elaborately planned attack to deprive them of their savings and emotional well-being.
They often find their hopes dashed and their trust deeply betrayed after falling victim to these online traps.
A recent incident exemplifies this threat clearly. A 42-year-old man, identified in reports as Jagdish C, was defrauded of more than ₹1.29 crore by a woman he met on the dating application QuackQuack and her associates.
According to the police complaint, Jagdish started talking with a woman named Meghna Reddy, along with other suspicious people, on the app.
The fraudsters built up a trust relationship patiently. Eventually, they convinced Jagdish to invest money in a fictitious international stock market website, promising enormous returns.
To make the scheme sound more believable and appeal to his emotional side, Meghna allegedly used emotional manipulation, claiming she needed the funds to construct an old-age home in honor of her late father. Believing her sincere story, Jagdish began making multiple digital transfers.
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Shockingly, in just two days November 5th and 6th the victim made several RTGS and NEFT transactions aggregating ₹12,933,253 (over ₹1.29 crore) into the fraudsters' accounts.
It was only when he did not get the returns promised or his money back that he realized the huge fraud that had been played on him. He immediately approached the North Central Cyber Crime Police, who registered a case under relevant sections of the IT Act 2000 and the Indian Penal Code 2023.
QuackQuack is a popular, homegrown dating and matchmaking application in India. It's designed to help users meet, chat, and date eligible, verified singles who share similar interests, cities, and age groups.
Since its launch, it has grown significantly, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities, and now boasts a large user base (around 39 million registered users as of a recent report).
Online dating is a social tool, not a "game," yet there are rules to consider and ways to stay safe.
Most popular dating apps in India, including Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and OkCupid, have strict age restrictions of 18 years or above for users. Normally, there is no maximum age limit, which implies that adults of all ages can use these platforms.
Apart from QuackQuack, some of the most famous and popular online dating apps in India are:
Tinder: This is an extremely popular app because of its fast and quick swipe feature across the globe.
Bumble: Because of the widely popular "women make the first move" policy.
Hinge: Marketed as the app "designed to be deleted," focusing on serious relationships.
TrulyMadly: This is an Indian app that puts great emphasis on user verification for safety.
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