Bumble has become popular as a way of getting new connections and even possibly finding love. They create space for the discussion of shared interests and the development of relationships that, sometimes, are meant to last a lifetime. Yet, there’s an unlit darkness in all that ease. With more and more people using such apps, there are also people who have become victims of cyber extortion at the hands of predators who preyed on them for their anonymity when using these applications. Such incidences remind many of the growing dangers that may be lurking within the digital world, where one’s trust could easily be shattered and privacy invaded. It is shining a light on the rising trend of online predators targeting the vulnerable through applications such as Bumble, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.
Imagine you install a dating app to build a new genuine connection with someone but the person you swiped right turns out to be a fraud. The same has happened with a 2nd-year Delhi University student. A 23-year-old Delhi man, Tushar Bisht, gets arrested for blackmailing women through fake IDs on dating apps. The case emerged after the student filed her complaint on December 13, 2024.
🚨 Delhi man poses as a US model to scam 700+ women on dating apps!
Tushar Singh Bisht, 23, blackmailed victims with intimate content, extorted money, and threatened to sell their data on the dark web.
Arrested with fake numbers, 13 credit cards, and incriminating evidence. pic.twitter.com/ClWOdr09TZ
— Beats in Brief (@beatsinbrief) January 4, 2025
She had been using Bumble to get to know new people when she met this man who described himself as a freelance model from the United States who had come to India for work. Over time, they became an online friend and started chatting through social media. In their interactions, the convicted shared personal pictures and videos with their victim without knowing dangers behind that screen.
Continuing with the progress of the relationship, the convicted kept on showing the victim a wish to meet person to person, whereas he kept on excusing himself as not to allow them to. The situation took a sinister turn when the man sent a private video of the victim to her on WhatsApp. He demanded money for not leaking or selling her explicit content. The victim was trapped and therefore initially paid small money, clarifying that she was a student and did not have much more money. Then, after making the payment, the accused continues to demand the money, really putting pressure on the victim’s head. In a traumatized state, she finally talked to her family and decided to file a cyber complaint.
During the inquiry, after receiving complaints through Cyber West Police, Tushar Bisht of Shakarpur, East Delhi, was quickly identified. After raiding his residential place and after arresting him, he was produced for questioning, where he finally revealed that two years ago, he had procured a virtual international mobile number, through which he had created many fake profiles on many dating and chatting platforms. His approach was to portray himself as a freelance model based in the US, and he used a picture of a Brazilian model as his profile picture. He made his profiles seem genuine by uploading his pictures and stories on the fake IDs.
Bisht targeted young women between 18 and 30 years on Bumble, befriended them, and then coaxed them to send explicit content. After the women clicked intimate photos or videos, Bisht began recording the screen of the respective material to blackmail the victims. Initially, Bisht used to do this for personal entertainment and later began demanding money from the women. If they refused, he threatened to leak or sell their private material. Bisht admitted to having communicated with hundreds of women, extorting money from several of them, and saving their private content on his phone.
This case is far from isolated. Within the last couple of years, many similar cases of cyber extortion have been reported all over India. Dating apps are emerging as one of the hunting grounds for the scammer. The anonymity these platforms offer to the predator makes it easy to deceive victims and often leaves them with a high degree of emotional distress and loss of finance.
In one instance, a female from Mumbai faced blackmailing. She had engaged in several messages with a fellow on a dating app, sending him pictures of her private part and videos along with some foreplay. These images were eventually used by this man to take money from the woman, asking her to post the same everywhere if she denied his demands. The girl in distress paid a lot of money, and the criminal still insists on more money. When she finally informed her of the incident, the police discovered that he was using a different identity and that the photos he used were not even his. Another case in Bengaluru is the one where a woman met her man on Tinder.
HYDERABAD DATING SCAM ALERT :
◾Daily traps through dating apps
◾Modus Operandi – take the man to specific club; order most expensive shots, drinks; make an excuse & escape, unmatch on dating app, move to next bakra
◾Bouncers force man to pay@hydcitypolice@APPOLICE100 pic.twitter.com/qGDrDJSeO9— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) June 6, 2024
For several weeks, he posed as a businessman and built rapport with his victim. Once he had her trust, he convinced her to share intimate photos with him. Once she did so, the man threatened to publish the photos unless she paid him. For a victim feeling ashamed and being trapped, she transferred the large sum to the fraudster’s bank account. The police arrested the individual after tracking his fake profiles and finding out the extortion scheme. These incidents are testimony to the frightening rise in cases of cyber extortion and criminal abuse of online dating applications. There have been reports that law enforcers warn users of dating apps not to share their private and intimate photographs with anyone else. The officers caution people from sending intimate and explicit photos and videos to some unknown individuals in the guise of a known individual. In addition, it is essential to report any suspicious activity immediately to avoid falling victim to such schemes.
The arrest of Tushar Bisht should scare others who consider doing something as illegal as him. The cases of people like Tushar Bisht abound, but still, his story highlights the call for stringent legislation and improved safety measures in these dating applications against exploitation of people. Online dating is expanding at a fantastic rate, and people should be very careful when they share their personal information through their profiles.
Got to know today that men who are trapped by dating app scammers are called “TABLE”
Every woman working with the club brings a “Table” and earns 15-20% of the bill amount from her Table
In this case, she ordered all of this within an hour. The guy did object but she said she… pic.twitter.com/jUyIb5Gg52
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) August 28, 2024
The police are still investigating the case and called upon other people who may have fallen into Bisht’s extortion trap to come forward. They have also called for people who use dating apps to be safe and not share any sensitive information with people they just meet online.
The case of the online threat of Bisht serves as an important lesson on online security and the ever-growing need for digital literacy to combat the menace of online threats.
