All scamsहिन्दी में पढ़ें
Scam explainer
Romance and crypto investment scam also called Pig-butchering, Dating app crypto scam, Matrimonial scam, Gift stuck in customs scam
An online partner met on a dating, matrimonial or social app builds trust over weeks, then steers you into a fake crypto platform or asks for money to release a 'gift'.
AI-generated illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.
How it works
- A match or a 'wrong number' message turns into daily friendly or romantic chats, often with someone claiming to live abroad.
- The contact mentions success with crypto or trading and guides you to a particular app or website.
- The platform shows fast gains, encouraging larger deposits, often converted to USDT or sent to accounts they suggest.
- Withdrawals are blocked by 'taxes' or 'fees'; in another version, a 'gift' parcel is held and you must pay customs charges.
- The contact disappears once you stop paying.
Red flags
- Someone you have never met in person steers conversations toward money or investing.
- They avoid video calls or meeting, with ready excuses.
- A crypto or trading platform you can only reach through their link.
- Requests to pay customs, taxes or fees to release a gift or your profits.
What to do
- Do not send more money to release profits or a parcel.
- Call 1930 and file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with wallet addresses, UPI IDs, bank details and chat screenshots.
- Tell your bank and, for crypto, the exchange you used, so they can flag the transfers.
- Report the profile to the dating or social platform and the number through Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi.
- Ignore anyone who contacts you offering to recover the money for a fee.
Step-by-step guideLost money in a UPI fraud? What to do in the first hour, and how to complain on 1930
The numbers
There is no India-specific official figure for romance scams; most cases are counted as investment fraud. 2026 reporting links crypto losses to fake trading apps and deepfake lures (The Crypto Times).
- The government told Parliament that 6,998 Indians were rescued from scam compounds in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar between 2022 and 2025. — Scroll — Nearly 7,000 Indians rescued from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos cybercrime compounds since 2022: Centre (6 Feb 2026)
- The UN human rights office estimated in February 2026 that at least 300,000 people work in scam operations across Southeast Asia. — UN News — UN report exposes torture, rape in Southeast Asia's multi-billion-dollar scam centres (20 Feb 2026)
Desk coverage
Sources
- Scroll — Nearly 7,000 Indians rescued from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos cybercrime compounds since 2022: Centre (6 Feb 2026)
- UN News — UN report exposes torture, rape in Southeast Asia's multi-billion-dollar scam centres (20 Feb 2026)
- The Crypto Times — India hit by ₹2.68 Cr crypto fraud as deepfake, trading apps trap victims (23 Mar 2026)
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal — cybercrime.gov.in (MHA)