Key Takeaways
- • A 33-year-old CFO in Ahmedabad lost $81,700 (₹78.99 lakh) to a sophisticated crypto investment fraud initiated through a matrimonial dating app, with deposits spanning May 8, 2025 to January 26, 2026.
- • The scam employed a romance-baiting strategy, with a fraudster profile ("Harshitha Gondawith") gradually redirecting conversation from the Sangam matrimonial app to WhatsApp, then pitching cryptocurrency investments with fabricated proof of large trading profits.
- • Victims were directed to a fake trading platform (m[.]bitcoin-on[.]com) where they registered with personal identification documents and transferred funds to rotating bank accounts; dashboard screens displayed fictional profits that steadily increased.
- • Upon attempting withdrawal, operators demanded additional payments framed as taxes, processing fees, and verification costs—a classic exit-scam tactic—resulting in complete loss of principal and claimed profits.
- • Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police have registered a formal FIR and launched an investigation that indicates the fraud is operated by an organized criminal network using the same playbook across multiple victims throughout India.
Summary
A 33-year-old CFO in Ahmedabad has become the public face of a coordinated matrimonial app-based cryptocurrency fraud that authorities believe extends across India. On May 8, 2025, the victim, Hardik Chandrakantbhai Soni, matched with a profile named Harshitha Gondawith on the Sangam matrimonial app. Within days, the interaction migrated from the app to WhatsApp, where the fraudster gradually steered conversation toward cryptocurrency investments, citing substantial trading profits and presenting fabricated video evidence of property acquisitions in Berlin.
The operational mechanics followed a well-established pattern: the victim was directed to register on a fake trading platform at m[.]bitcoin-on[.]com using personal identifying information including his name, email, phone number, and driving license details. A "customer support agent" then instructed him to wire funds to a series of rotating bank accounts. Each transfer generated a corresponding USDT credit on his dashboard, creating the illusion of legitimate trading activity. Between May 8, 2025 and January 26, 2026, Soni made deposits ranging from $104 (₹10,000) to $10,355 (₹10 lakh), accumulating total losses of $81,700 (₹78.99 lakh). The platform displayed steadily increasing profits and account balances throughout this period—all fabricated.
When Soni attempted to withdraw his principal plus claimed profits, the operators deployed the final stage of the scam: demands for additional payments characterized as taxes, processing fees, and verification charges. While some of these supplementary payments were processed, no funds were returned. The victim subsequently filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, prompting Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police to register a formal FIR. Police investigation indicates the fraud is part of an organized network executing identical schemes across India, suggesting institutional rather than ad-hoc criminal activity. This case underscores the vulnerability of dating and matrimonial platforms to financial predation and highlights a systemic gap in identity verification protocols across both app-based social platforms and purported financial services websites.
The operational mechanics followed a well-established pattern: the victim was directed to register on a fake trading platform at m[.]bitcoin-on[.]com using personal identifying information including his name, email, phone number, and driving license details. A "customer support agent" then instructed him to wire funds to a series of rotating bank accounts. Each transfer generated a corresponding USDT credit on his dashboard, creating the illusion of legitimate trading activity. Between May 8, 2025 and January 26, 2026, Soni made deposits ranging from $104 (₹10,000) to $10,355 (₹10 lakh), accumulating total losses of $81,700 (₹78.99 lakh). The platform displayed steadily increasing profits and account balances throughout this period—all fabricated.
When Soni attempted to withdraw his principal plus claimed profits, the operators deployed the final stage of the scam: demands for additional payments characterized as taxes, processing fees, and verification charges. While some of these supplementary payments were processed, no funds were returned. The victim subsequently filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, prompting Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police to register a formal FIR. Police investigation indicates the fraud is part of an organized network executing identical schemes across India, suggesting institutional rather than ad-hoc criminal activity. This case underscores the vulnerability of dating and matrimonial platforms to financial predation and highlights a systemic gap in identity verification protocols across both app-based social platforms and purported financial services websites.
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