India: Man strips naked for ‘WhatsApp girlfriend’, blackmailers demand Rs50,000 (Dh2,549) to get rid of the video

Dubai: A 26-year man from the Indian city of Bengaluru ended up losing Rs22,000 (Dh1,078) to cyber criminals, after he stripped naked for his 'WhatsApp girlfriend' on a video call. A few days later he received a call from miscreants who claimed that they had his video and started blackmailing him. Twitter users in India shared the story urging others to be wary of what they share online, with strangers.

According to Indian news reports, the man, who is a private company employee, told cops that he had befriended a girl on WhatsApp last month. “The girl named Nisha claimed she was working with a call center in Kerala. She said she liked to chat on 'hot topics' over the phone,” the man told the cops.

The man who lived alone in Whitefield, in a paying guest accommodation said that his earlier flatmate went back home, after the pandemic-induced lockdown.

He added: "Last week, Nisha said she wanted to see me in the nude. Initially, I refused. Then, she promised she would also strip, after I remove my clothes," the man said.

Blindly believing her, the man stripped naked on a video call, and while he was nude, Nisha abruptly disconnected the call. After that, the man failed to contact her as her phone was switched off.

A few days later, the man received a call from a stranger who claimed that he had a video of him completely naked, and threatened to upload it on social media unless he got paid. The miscreant demanded Rs50,000 (Dh2,549) to get rid of the video, and after some bargaining, agreed on an amount of Rs22,000 (Dh1,078). The man transferred the money online, but the blackmailer called again the next day, asking for more.

Coming to the realisation that he will lose a lot of money over this, the man finally decided to approach the cybercrime police and filed a complaint.

Sharing the story, tweep @aninditagmishra posted: “Not just women, but men too are taken for rides and blackmailed online. Be wary of who you date and what you share online. Even as adults, pay heed to #strangerdanger.”