A Pune resident was allegedly duped of Rs 11 lakh after he responded to a bizarre online advertisement seeking a man to make a woman pregnant. The 44-year-old contractor believed that the offer was genuine, and ended up transferring money under various pretexts before realising it was a scam.
‘Rs 25 lakh. Want a man to make me a mother’
The man fell for the ad in the first week of September, but how? According to a report by The Indian Express, the man came across a video ad of an entity named ‘Pregnant Job’ on social media. In the video, a woman, when translated from Hindi to English, said, “I want a man who will make me a mother. I will give him Rs 25 lakh. I don’t care if he is educated or not, or to what caste he belongs or whether he is fair or dark.”
The man, apparently thinking that it was an easy job with lots of money, dialled the number shown in the video. The man on the other side of the phone introduced himself as the assistant of the ‘Pregnant Job’ firm. The scammer directed the victim to sign up to be able to get an identity card and live with the woman.
He was then asked to pay several fees, including “initial,” “membership,” and “privacy” charges, over the next few days.
Since he fell for the trap, he paid the amount in 100 small transfers, amounting to Rs 11 lakh. And what was supposed to happen, happened. The scammers abruptly stopped communicating with him and even blocked him. It was only then that the victim realised he had been duped.
“The complainant was lured, manipulated and at times coerced in such a way that he made over 100 small transfers totalling Rs 11 lakh between the first week of September and October 23. These payments were done through UPI and IMPS transfers,” an officer who is part of the probe told The Indian Express.
‘Avoid responding to suspicious ads online’: Police
A case has been registered, and police have launched an investigation to trace those behind the scam. Authorities have also urged citizens to remain cautious while engaging with unusual or suspicious online offers.
“Citizens should avoid responding to suspicious online advertisements or offers. If anyone demands large sums of money online for personal work, they must report it immediately to the police,” a senior police officer was quoted by India Today as saying.
The case is similar to a cyber fraud racket in Bihar earlier this year, where men were lured with offers of up to Rs 10 lakh to impregnate childless women. And even if they failed, they were supposed to get Rs 50,000.
The so-called “All India Pregnant Job Service” website was used to trap victims, who were then asked to share ID details and transfer money for registrations and hotel bookings. Three people were arrested in that case, and investigators believe the accused were part of a larger network targeting unsuspecting men across states.
At the time, DSP Kalyan Anand told BBC, “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.”