Hyderabad: Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar has issued a strong warning to youth about misleading videos circulating on social media that feature seemingly attractive women promoting chat apps.
He cautioned that cybercriminals are exploiting loneliness among young people by using advanced technology to create fake “honey trap” schemes. “Are you feeling lonely? Download this app and chat with beautiful girls and women,”—such advertisements widely seen online are not harmless, but part of a dangerous cyber fraud network, he said.
According to Sajjanar, the women appearing in these videos are not real but are generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI). These fake visuals are designed to lure users into downloading suspicious applications.
He warned that once such apps are installed via unknown links, they can access sensitive data from users’ phones, including contacts and photo galleries. Cybercriminals then misuse this information for blackmail.
In many cases, victims are lured into video calls where explicit content is played on the other side. Meanwhile, the victim’s face is recorded and later morphed into compromising videos. The scammers then threaten to share these videos with friends and family unless money is paid.
Sajjanar stressed that victims who panic and continue paying money out of fear of social embarrassment may eventually lose all their savings. He also stated that strict action will be taken against those posting such fraudulent advertisements on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
He urged the public to understand that no one offers free companionship online and that such attractive offers often hide a larger conspiracy to exploit users financially and socially.
Youth are advised not to install unknown dating or video-calling apps in moments of impulse. He also noted that such advertisements tend to appear more frequently at night, urging extra caution during those hours.
If anyone has already fallen victim to such cyber fraud, they should not fear social stigma but immediately report the incident by calling the toll-free number 1930 or by filing a complaint on the official cybercrime portal (http://cybercrime.gov.in).
