A 26-year-old youngster from Andhra Pradesh was arrested by the Hyderabad Cyber Crimes police for allegedly creating a fake Facebook profile in a woman’s name and extorting ₹38 lakh from a 70-year-old retired employee through a honey-trap and blackmail scheme.
The accused, a resident of Palakollu in West Godavari district, allegedly befriended the senior citizen on Facebook and gradually gained his confidence before drawing him into intimate conversations. Two mobile phones were seized following the arrest.
The case dates back to June 17, 2025, when the Hyderabad resident approached the police stating that he had received a friend request from a Facebook account carrying a woman’s name. After he accepted it, the two began chatting.
The person behind the account initially sought money citing household requirements. The victim transferred money on multiple occasions, following which another man contacted him claiming to be a relative of the woman, police said.
The conversations later turned personal, with the person operating the account allegedly luring the senior citizen into intimate chats. The fraudsters then changed tack and began threatening him, accusing him of sexually exploiting a minor and warning that criminal cases would be registered against him.
Police said the threats were used to repeatedly extort money from the victim, who eventually lost approximately ₹38 lakh.
Investigators said the modus operandi involved creating fake social media profiles in the names of young women and sending friend requests to elderly men. After gaining their confidence, the fraudsters initially seek relatively innocuous payments for purported household expenses, medical emergencies or gifts.
Once victims are drawn into intimate conversations, the fraudsters allegedly threaten them with allegations of sexual harassment or exploitation of minors. In some instances, members of the gang also impersonate police officers and demand money purportedly to prevent criminal cases from being registered, police said.
Cyber Crimes police cautioned senior citizens against accepting social media requests from strangers, engaging in intimate conversations with unknown accounts or transferring money to people they have met only online. Police also reiterated that officers do not demand money over the phone to settle criminal cases.
Families were advised to sensitise elderly members about such scams and encourage victims to report cyber fraud immediately, as early reporting could improve the chances of freezing money transferred to fraudulent accounts.
Published – October 05, 2026 07:23 pm IST
