12 men fall prey to Mumbai dating scam, one pays over

Dating apps are a convenient way to meet new people with similar interests, opening up the potential gateway to finding a romantic partner. However, there is another scary side to that story – the dating scams. Lawyer and activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj recently shared about one such scam that has already claimed 12 victims.
“MUMBAI DATING SCAM EXPOSE. THE GODFATHER CLUB ANDHERI WEST. BRAZEN SCAMMING EVERYDAY. 12 victims in touch. Trap laid through Tinder, Bumble. Bill amounts 23K- 61K. 3 men trapped by the same girl,” she wrote.
She posted a few bills that show how much some of these men paid, including an invoice of ₹61,743. The bill shows four items, including two cocktails priced at ₹5,000 each. She also added follow ups posts to talk more about the scam and the club where it is happening.
With over four million views, the share has gone viral on social media. It has also prompted people to post varied comments.
“How is this a scam? People are themselves paying to maybe impress the girl or what not. While she’s ordering the man has the choice to either clarify who will be paying or directly say – I can’t afford more than 2 drinks. But then that takes away the masculinity and chivalry. Person A meets Person B in the pursuit of getting something back. Person B taking advantage of their no rational thinking does this. People don’t make you a fool, you already are a fool, and people just take advantage of that,” wrote an X user.
“My friend also got scammed here. Hope police will take some action against the restaurant,” added another. A third joined, “I know a friend who got scammed.
Same way, maybe same place and I suppose same girl or some other. but this is happening all over Mumbai, pan-India.”
In a follow-up post, she also shared the scammers’ “modus operandi. “Dating app connect. Push for quick meet. Meeting place Pizza Express or Metro. Then insists Godfather. Orders drink, hookah, and fire shot. The guy isn’t shown a menu card. Bill in thousands within an hour. She absconds. Bouncers corner guy to beat if not paid.”