Bengaluru, Karnataka – Cybercriminals have defrauded over 200 individuals across Karnataka, including residents of Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru, and Haveri, in a sophisticated scam leveraging an AI-generated video of President Donald Trump. The perpetrators lured victims with promises of high returns from investments in “Trump Hotel rentals,” resulting in total losses exceeding ₹2 crore.
Police investigations reveal the scam began by offering seemingly lucrative work-from-home and investment opportunities. Victims were initially instructed to pay ₹1,500 to set up accounts. Following this, they were assigned tasks like writing company profiles, with their “earnings” appearing to increase on an app dashboard. However, these displayed profits were entirely fictitious.
One victim, a 38-year-old advocate, reported depositing ₹5,93,240 between January 25 and April 4 of this year. He recounted encountering YouTube shorts promoting investments in “Donald Trump Hotel rentals.” Clicking the link led him to download a mobile application and fill out a form, including bank details. After an initial ₹1,500 deposit, he received a ₹30 credit. The platform then allowed small, consistent withdrawals once earnings reached ₹300, building false trust. This success encouraged him to invest progressively larger sums, ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹1,00,000. The fraudsters ultimately demanded tax payments for withdrawals, after which the funds were never returned.
The advocate also noted the scammers employed aggressive tactics, sometimes promising ₹1,00,000 returns on a ₹1,00,000 investment within 24 hours. He stated that many individuals from diverse backgrounds, including police personnel, government employees, and businessmen, have fallen victim to this elaborate scheme.