Dr Goldi Hazari
Medico/Social Activist
In an era where digital connections have become the primary avenue for romance, a sinister manipulation tactic is quietly devastating lives across India. Called “love bombing”—overwhelming a target with intense affection, compliments, and promises of a future together—it has become the weapon of choice for online predators. Victims are not just losing money; they are losing savings, dignity, mental health, and sometimes their lives. Even children are falling prey.
What Is Love Bombing?
Love bombing is emotional manipulation where an individual floods another with excessive attention and grand gestures early in a relationship to gain control. On social media and dating apps, this plays out through constant messaging, declarations of love within days, and elaborate fantasies about a shared future. In India, this translates into promises of marriage, discussions about mangalsutra designs, and phone conversations with fake “family members” to create authenticity.
The hashtag #lovebombing has been used nearly 400 million times on social media platforms. Yet what plays out as entertainment is actually a devastating crime destroying lives across India’s cities and towns.
The Indian Context: A Growing Crisis
India has witnessed an alarming surge in online romance scams. With over 700 million internet users and 450 million active social media users, the country has become fertile ground for digital predators.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cyber fraud cases in India increased by over 60% in 2025 compared to the previous year, with romance scams accounting for a significant portion. The Ministry of Home Affairs’ cyber-unit has formally warned that fraudsters use stolen photos, polished fake profiles, and emotional grooming to push victims into investment and cryptocurrency schemes.
In Maharashtra alone, police registered 1,000 cases of online romance fraud in 2025, compared to just 619 in 2024—a staggering increase of nearly 62%. The total amount lost crossed ₹40 crore. In Gujarat, love and romance scams cost citizens over ₹30 crore in 2025, with 265 complaints filed.
Bengaluru Homemaker Who Lost Gold Worth ₹85 Lakh
In Bengaluru, a 32-year-old homemaker was befriended by two men on Snapchat—one from Telangana’s Nizamabad and another from Anantapur. Their casual chats escalated into frequent video calls and messages. She even invited them separately to her house.
Taking advantage of her trust, one man claimed financial distress and borrowed gold ornaments. The other also sought gold and cash, promising to return them. When she asked for her gold back, both threatened to expose their friendship to her husband, turning manipulation into extortion. One sold nearly 1kg of gold and spent it on personal expenses and online betting.
Police later recovered 571 grams of gold worth ₹85.6 lakh—but the woman had already lost everything, including her peace of mind and trust in others.
Delhi Woman Trapped by Marriage Promises and Sextortion
In one of the most devastating cases, a lonely woman from Delhi fell prey to a sophisticated love bombing operation that cost her everything—her money, her dignity, and her trust in humanity. She met a man on a matrimonial website, and they quickly began sharing personal details. Taking advantage of her loneliness, he promised her marriage, showing her expensive mangalsutra designs, dreaming of a destination wedding, and even claiming his brand new BMW was now hers.
To make the trap more convincing, he arranged fake video calls with his “mother” to assure her of his family’s approval—a classic love bombing tactic designed to create an illusion of authenticity. Once she was emotionally invested, they met in person and went to a cloth store, where he love bombed her with compliments about her dress selections, making her feel cherished and valued.
He then took her to a hotel, where they stayed for several days, and he sextorted her by saying they would be married within days, making her believe their physical intimacy was a precursor to their wedding. After returning to his native place, he cruelly texted her that he wanted a breakup. The message shattered her completely—she had lost everything: her money, her dignity, and her ability to trust anyone again. The psychological damage was so severe that she struggled with depression and anxiety for months. Now she is on medication from a Psychiatric , the wound she had never recovered from her wounds.
Hyderabad Techie Who Lost His Father’s Pension
A 36-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad transferred ₹30.7 lakh to a fraudulent cryptocurrency trading website under guidance from a woman he met on a matrimonial platform. Posing as an NRI bride using a UK phone number, she was soft-spoken and beautiful-looking.
He was added to WhatsApp and Telegram groups showing screenshots of easy profits. The love bombing was subtle but effective—she made him feel special. When she introduced the cryptocurrency investment, it seemed like a way to build a future together.
Eventually, he realised she had never video chatted with him. She texted that he was duped and abused him. The money he lost included his father’s pension money—a lifetime of retirement savings vanished in months. In another similar case, a 29-year-old Andheri manager lost ₹32 lakh to a woman on a matrimonial site who vanished when he tried to withdraw.
Across India, three techies from Hyderabad lost a combined ₹1.29 crore within just 72 hours to similar cryptocurrency investment rackets.
Kolkata Woman Who Lost ₹2.5 Crore
A 52-year-old divorcee and senior official at a multinational company in Kolkata fell victim to a sophisticated love bombing operation costing nearly ₹2.5 crore. The accused, posing as a US-based doctor, spent months building emotional connection through daily calls, messages, and promises of marriage.
He sent photos of a luxurious lifestyle and discussed future plans in America. Within a year, she transferred ₹2.5 crore to various bank accounts, believing she was helping with licensing fees and business expenses. She lost her life savings and alienated her family, who had repeatedly warned her.
Mumbai Woman Groomed on Instagram
A 33-year-old businessman was arrested for cheating a 25-year-old woman of her savings, gold jewellery, and car worth ₹10 lakh while pretending to be an actor. He met her through Instagram live, took her to expensive restaurants, and showered her with compliments. When emotionally invested, he started asking for money to advance his career and hers. He took her car, gold, and cash before disappearing.
The Global Scale
In the US, the FBI received over 24,000 romance scam complaints in 2025, with losses topping $943 million. The FTC reports that nearly 30% of scam losses started on social media, totaling $2.1 billion.
In Australia, 3,432 dating scams were recorded in 2025 with losses of $28.7 million (AUD) , up 21.8% from 2024. Globally, romance scams cost an estimated $3.8 billion annually.
Sextortion: When Love Bombing Turns to Blackmail
Interpol’s African sting operation arrested 260 individuals and identified 1,400 victims losing nearly $2.8 million. A 2025 study of 6,000 adolescents found 65% of Generation Z youth had been targeted by sextortion attempts. Since 2021, at least 46 teen boys in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia have died by suicide after being targeted in sextortion scams.
Children and Teenagers: The Most Vulnerable
In Malaysia, police recorded 633 cases involving social media platforms, most victims between 13 and 16 years. In Canada, online child luring cases rose nearly 20% in 2025. In India, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights reports online child exploitation cases have risen over 35%. More than 60% of child sex trafficking survivors report first contact through social media, gaming platforms, or messaging apps.
Why Indians Are Particularly Vulnerable
Marriage Pressure: Scammers exploit the desperation to find a partner in a society where marriage is a social and familial obligation.
Family Approval: Involvement of fake “family members” creates false legitimacy.
Gold as Security: Promise of marriage opens the door to gold-related frauds.
Social Shame: Victims often don’t report due to stigma, causing many to suffer in silence.
Digital Divide: Low digital literacy in many segments makes them easy targets.
Love bombing on social media is not romance—it is a weapon. From the Bengaluru homemaker who lost ₹85.6 lakh in gold, to the Mumbai woman whose marriage dreams were shattered, to the Hyderabad techie who lost his father’s pension, to the Kolkata divorcee who lost ₹2.5 crore—the stories are heartbreakingly numerous.
“Behind these figures are not only those targeted by scams, but also the friends, families, and support networks who are affected,” as one official stated. In India, cultural pressures, social stigma, and the significance of gold and marriage compound the problem.
The next time someone on social media professes undying love within days, shows you mangalsutra designs, introduces you to their “mother” on the phone, or asks for money—pause. Ask yourself: is this real love, or is this love bombing? Your heart, your savings, and possibly your life may depend on the answer.
Name and places are changed to maintain the confidentiality.
If you or someone you know has been a victim, report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. Emotional support is available through helplines like iCall (022-25521111). Remember, you are not alone.