Overview
- Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar issued a public advisory Saturday warning young women that social-media ‘rent boyfriend’ offers are being used by cybercriminals to cheat and blackmail victims.
- Officials say scammers build fake profiles using AI or internet images, move conversations into private chats and then demand advance payments or security deposits via QR codes and digital wallets.
- After payments, perpetrators often block victims while retaining phone numbers and photos that can be used for harassment, extortion or to arrange dangerous in-person meetings.
- Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police say they are monitoring the advertisements and have urged victims to call the 1930 helpline or file complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal; no arrests or platform takedowns have been reported in the coverage.
- Posts promoting discounted packages on Instagram, Telegram and Facebook help scale the fraud, so police advise not to pay advance fees, not to share private photos with unverified accounts and for parents to watch children’s social‑media use.