Matched On App, Scammed At Cafe: Mumbai Man Pays Rs 61,000 On Fraud Date

A match on a dating app, an invitation to a fancy restaurant and a bill that will not just burn a hole in the pocket but set whatever you're wearing on fire - the standard modus operandi of 'scam dates' has claimed many victims. 

The latest example of this exploitative scheme comes from The Godfather Club in Mumbai's Andheri West, which is now under investigation following a viral social media post. The post, shared by activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj on X, has shed light on a scam that has left several men out of pocket and deeply embarrassed.

According to Ms Bhardwaj's post, the scam begins innocently enough on popular dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and OKCupid. Men connect with women who quickly express interest in meeting up. The chosen venue is often The Godfather Club or another similar establishment in the vicinity. Once at the location, the women reportedly order expensive items such as high-end liquor or hookah, none of which appear on the menu. The men, eager to impress, are unaware of the looming financial trap.

After the orders have been placed, the women abruptly leave, often citing an emergency, leaving the men to face an exorbitant bill. The sums involved are staggering, with bills ranging from Rs 23,000 to Rs 61,000, as evidenced by photos of receipts shared by Ms Bhardwaj. When the men protest or refuse to pay, they are reportedly threatened by the club's staff or bouncers, forcing them to settle the bill out of fear and humiliation.

The Godfather Club is not the only venue under scrutiny. Ms Bhardwaj's post hints at a broader network of nightclubs across Mumbai engaging in similar practices. These establishments allegedly employ PR personnel who hire women to bait men on dating apps, luring them into expensive and intimidating situations.

Similar incidents have also been reported across major cities like Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, among others. In June, a civil service aspirant's date went wrong when he was scammed into paying a staggering Rs 1.2 lakh in bills at a popular joint in the national capital.