Men in India are losing big money on the most obvious scam imaginable — free money and free sex, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Hundreds of gullible victims have fallen prey to scammers using online videos and phone calls to scout men who are willing to have sex with and impregnate women — only to rob them of thousands of dollars, the BBC reported.
“The scammers lured them with promise of free money and free sex which is a deadly combination,” cyber law professional Pavan Duggal reportedly said. “In situations like these, prudence often takes a backseat.”
All India Pregnant Job service: Indian men conned by ‘impregnating women’ scamhttps://t.co/NiwJKBBxaF pic.twitter.com/Qi75bUGCH2
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Police say they have arrested eight men and continue to search for 18 more suspects, according to the outlet. Nine mobile phones and a printer have reportedly been seized, the police said.
“The gang has been active for a year and we believe they have conned hundreds of people, but no-one has so far come forward to complain, possibly because of shame,” Deputy superintendent of police Kalyan Anand, in command of the Indian state of Bihar’s Nawada district’s cyber task force, told the outlet.
Mangesh Kumar, who had his name altered by the BBC for the story, received an offer of more than half a million Indian rupees to have intercourse with a woman, and up to 800,000 rupees if he could successfully get a woman pregnant. He had reportedly stumbled upon a Facebook post from the “All India Pregnant Job Service” with the offer. The self-described “poor man” and father of two sons periodically spent thousands of rupees on court documents, a safety deposit and taxes in preparation for a payout that would never come, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Vendor Scheme Allegedly Leaves Virginia Woman With Over 100 Amazon Packages She Never Ordered)
“They said they would book a hotel room in the two where I lived and I would meet the woman there,” Kumar told the BBC.
Kumar repeatedly asked when he would receive the money, and he was told it could not be sent to his account until he paid 12,600 as income tax, the outlet reported. They reportedly sent the man a receipt claiming over half a million rupees were on hold until he paid the amount. The victim asked for a refund after forfeiting one month’s salary, saying he could had no more money to pay them with.
“I’m a poor laborer, I’d lost a month’s pay and I didn’t want to get tangled in any criminal case. I was so afraid that I switched off my phone for 10 days. I switched it back on only a few days ago,” Kumar told the reporter, the BBC reported.