Indian Contractor Loses $200,000 in WhatsApp Crypto Scam – AInvest

Coin World Wednesday, Jul 9, 2025 4:33 pm ET 1min read An Indian civil contractor, Ramesh, was duped into losing approximately $200,000 in a romance crypto scam orchestrated through WhatsApp. The scammer, posing as a potential bride named Priyanka, initially connected with Ramesh through a matrimonial website and began conversations on WhatsApp starting April 11. The scammer claimed to work for a cryptocurrency trading company based in Singapore and convinced Ramesh to invest through a fake trading app, promising high returns. Ramesh’s initial investment of INR 50,000 (around $583) yielded a profit of INR 8,300 (around $100), enticing him to transfer larger sums through bank transfers and UPI payments. Over the course of three months, Ramesh deposited a total of INR 1.67 crore (around $200,000) into the fake crypto investment app. However, when he attempted to withdraw his earnings, the app locked his wallet, preventing any withdrawals. The scammer then demanded an additional INR 25 lakh (around $29,175) to release the funds, which Ramesh refused to pay. He subsequently blocked the scammer on WhatsApp and deactivated the phone number. Upon realizing the fraud, Ramesh reported the incident to the Cyberabad Police. A case was registered under various charges, including cheating
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