# Study of 35 Indian romance fraud cases tracks move offline > By Hayley Birkin | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-10-20T09:12:06.975372+00:00 | Section: Regulation | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/study-35-indian-romance-fraud-cases-tracks-move-offline | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) A peer-reviewed study of 35 Indian dating-app fraud cases finds 25 moved to in-person meetings, with losses from INR 7,000 to INR 9 crore. ## Key points - A study in Elsevier's Journal of Economic Criminology analysed 35 media-reported Indian dating-app romance fraud cases from 2020 to 2025 and found 25 involved a transition to a physical meeting. - The other 10 cases stayed mostly online, involving extortion, sextortion or fake investment and payment schemes, according to the authors from OP Jindal Global University, The Police Foundation and the University of the Western Cape. - Reported losses in the Indian cases ranged from INR 7,000 to INR 9 crore, and one Jaipur case involved kidnapping and murder, the paper says. - The authors say the study cannot estimate prevalence, relies on English-language news reports and notes limited centralised law-enforcement data on romance fraud in India. ## Article - The study analysed 35 media-reported Indian dating-app fraud cases from 2020 to 2025; 25 showed a move to a physical meeting. - Reported losses ranged from INR 7,000 to INR 9 crore, and one Jaipur case involved kidnapping and murder. - Tinder was named in 8 cases and Bumble in 7; 10 cases did not name a platform. - The authors say the data cannot estimate prevalence and may over-represent newsworthy cases. Researchers from OP Jindal Global University, The Police Foundation in London and the University of the Western Cape have published a study in Elsevier's Journal of Economic Criminology that finds a recurring pattern of romance fraud in India moving from dating apps to offline encounters. The paper went online on 13 September 2026, and The Tribune reported on it on 18 October. According to the authors, offenders make contact on a platform, groom the target emotionally, then arrange a meeting where money is extracted or, in some cases, coercion and violence follow. It is an exploratory, qualitative study, not a measure of how common this is. Of the 35 cases, 25 showed an identifiable transition to a physical meeting. The other 10 stayed mostly online, as extortion, sextortion or fake investment schemes. ### The DII Take Trust and safety teams should read this less as a verdict on any one app and more as a map of where protection runs out. Safeguards that stop at the chat window may do little once a conversation moves to encrypted messaging and then to a café or rented flat. The sample is small and press-driven, so treat it as a catalogue of tactics, not a risk ranking. ### Two offline patterns, and where the apps appear The authors describe "coercive social debt scams" in cafés, restaurants and bars, where victims are pressured into paying inflated bills. A second type, "private extortion and violence scams", took place in rented apartments and hotel rooms. It involved coercion and robbery and, in Case 4 in Jaipur, kidnapping and murder. Tinder was named in 8 cases and [Bumble](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/bumble) (BMBL) in 7. [Aisle](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/aisle) and [TrulyMadly](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/trulymadly) appeared once each. The authors note that 23 of 30 victims with a reported gender were male, a skew they say should not be read as the real distribution. > Of the 35 cases, 25 showed an identifiable transition to a physical meeting. ### What to watch The authors say platform safeguards mattered most at first contact, while environmental oversight matters once meetings move offline. Their policy suggestions, offered as indicative only, are better platform safeguards, awareness of the risks of rapid offline meetings and stronger situational prevention. They also note limited centralised public law-enforcement data on romance fraud in India, which leaves regulators with little to benchmark against. For context, the US Federal Trade Commission said in April 2026 that nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it began on social media. As [in-person dating gets pushed by the apps themselves](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/bbc-singles-turn-to-irl-dating-events-tinder-adds-own), expect safety scrutiny to follow the meeting, not just the match. - The Journal of Economic Criminology study gives operators a documented offline-harm pattern in India, but only 35 English-language press cases support it. - Product teams should test whether in-app safety prompts survive the move to encrypted chat and a first date. - With limited public police data in India, academic case studies may shape the early regulatory conversation. **Sources:** [Romance fraud in India: A qualitative study of online–offline transitions in the digital dating ecosystem (Elsevier / OP Jindal Global University repository)](https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/12618/1/Romance%20fraud%20in%20India.pdf); [Romance fraud in India, JGU PURE repository record (OP Jindal Global University)](https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/12618/); [FTC Data Spotlight: Reported losses to scams on social media eight times higher than in 2020 (US Federal Trade Commission)](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2026/04/reported-losses-scams-social-media-eight-times-higher-2020); ['Romance fraud' in India: Study shows how the digital dating ecosystem is exploited (The Tribune)](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/romance-fraud-in-india-study-shows-how-the-digital-dating-ecosystem-is-exploited/) ## Key takeaways - The Journal of Economic Criminology study gives dating operators a documented pattern of offline harm following online grooming in India, though it rests on only 35 English-language press cases. - Trust and safety teams should test whether in-app safeguards survive the move to encrypted messaging and a first meeting, since the authors say protective conditions at one stage do not necessarily carry to the next. - Limited public police data on romance fraud in India means academic case studies like this one may shape early regulatory discussion. ## FAQ ### What does the new study on romance fraud in India find? The Journal of Economic Criminology study of 35 media-reported cases from 2020 to 2025 found a recurring pattern of online grooming on dating platforms followed by in-person meetings involving financial extraction, coercion or violence. 25 of the 35 cases showed a move to a physical meeting. ### Does the study show how common dating-app romance fraud is in India? No. The authors say the data are English-language news reports, may over-represent severe cases and do not estimate prevalence. They also note limited centralised law-enforcement data in India. ### Which dating apps were named in the Indian fraud cases? Tinder was named in 8 cases and Bumble in 7, with Aisle, Happn, TrulyMadly and others named once each. Ten cases did not specify a platform. --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/study-35-indian-romance-fraud-cases-tracks-move-offline Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)