HYDERABAD: A 39-year-old private employee from Mallampet allegedly lost Rs 3.35 crore after being lured through Tinder by a person posing as a Japanese woman and persuaded to invest in a fraudulent online platform.
According to the complaint, the victim matched with a person identifying herself as Kiyoko Takahashi on the dating app on July 1. She claimed to be a 32-year-old Japanese national living in London and later shared her WhatsApp number, asking him to continue their conversations there.
After gaining his confidence, she allegedly told him that she was earning substantial amounts through a Facebook-linked Meta AI programme that generated income through advertisements. She then introduced him to an alleged Audience Network campaign, claiming that users could earn huge returns by investing in high-value advertising orders.
She shared a link to download an application, which the victim installed on his phone. He initially deposited $30 using a discount coupon and later began making payments to complete advertising orders. On July 5, he invested Rs 50,000. The platform allegedly showed profits of around 20% in his Facebook wallet after each order.
The woman later persuaded him to join what she described as a new Facebook Meta AI Audience Network programme involving higher-paid advertising orders and promising substantial returns. Believing her claims, the victim allegedly invested a total of Rs 3,35,50,141 over 55 days.
On August 31, when he attempted to withdraw his money, the platform allegedly asked him to deposit additional funds to purchase credit points. It was then that he realised he had been cheated.
The victim subsequently approached the police. Based on his complaint, the TGCSB police registered a case and launched an investigation.