A 29-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested by Delhi Police after allegedly defrauding over 100 women in India by posing as a UK-based Korean businessman on a language exchange app.
According to the Hindustan Times, Stephane, who goes by the online identities “Dominic” and “Duck Young,” was detained on Monday, September 29, in a leased residence in Tilak Nagar, West Delhi.
This case is part of a larger trend of cyber-enabled romantic scams, in which fraudsters use social media and dating sites to deceive and financially abuse victims, frequently by pretending to be someone they are not.
His accomplices would call victims and impersonate officials, asking payment for his “release.”
Many women, believing they were assisting a friend—or even a prospective partner—transferred substantial sums electronically.
The scam was exposed after a woman called Anjali claimed to have lost Rs 48,500.
She stated that “Duck Young” told her he was detained at Mumbai airport, and she soon got calls from supposed immigration officers asking her to pay more.
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When she declined to provide an additional Rs 2 lakh, he disappeared.
Police tracked him down using call records, bank accounts, and social media, eventually discovering a mobile phone stuffed with bogus profiles and discussions involving over 100 women.
During interrogation, he admitted that he entered India in 2019 on a six-month tourist visa with an Ivorian passport to avoid restrictions that Nigerians faced at the time. After overstaying and running out of money, he resorted to internet fraud.
Online romance and impersonation frauds have increased dramatically over the world, particularly in nations like India, where fast use of digital platforms has surpassed public understanding of cybercrime.
Scammers frequently take advantage of social vulnerabilities such as loneliness, trust, and the desire for meaningful connections, using platforms such as language exchange apps, dating sites, and social media to locate and influence victims.
