Chat and dating scams, and how to beat them
Most scams start with a friendly message. These guides show how each one works, which part Bakkar's own rules stop, and which part only you can.
Romance scams
How romance scams on Indian chat and dating apps work, from love bombing to the money ask, the signs to spot early, and what to do if you have paid.
Read the guide →Sextortion and video call blackmail
Someone recorded a video call and is threatening to share it? Do not pay. What sextortion is, why paying makes it worse, and how to report it in India.
Read the guide →"Let's move to WhatsApp"
Almost every chat scam starts by moving you off the app fast. Why scammers want your number, how Bakkar holds it back, and how to say no without drama.
Read the guide →Investment and crypto tips
A friendly chat turns into stock, crypto or "task" profits and a trading app you have never heard of. How this investment scam works and how to get out.
Read the guide →Emergency money requests
A new friend has a sudden emergency and only you can help. Why urgent money requests from people you met online are almost always scams.
Read the guide →Spotting fake profiles
Stolen photos, scripted replies and no real details. Practical checks for fake profiles, including a reverse image search, and what a blue tick does not prove.
Read the guide →OTP and code requests
"I sent a code to your number by mistake, can you forward it?" How code requests take over WhatsApp, UPI and bank accounts, and what to do if you shared one.
Read the guide →Fake police and "digital arrest"
There is no "digital arrest" in Indian law. How callers posing as police, CBI or customs keep people on video calls, and how to report them on 1930.
Read the guide →Task and part-time job offers
Paid to like videos or rate hotels, then asked to "top up" to unlock your earnings. How task scams work and why the first small payment is the bait.
Read the guide →The gift stuck in customs
An online friend abroad sends you an expensive gift, then customs wants a fee. How the parcel scam works and how to check if a parcel call is real.
Read the guide →Already lost money?
Call 1930, India's national cybercrime helpline, straight away. It can ask banks to hold the money while it is still moving. Then file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
Built into Bakkar
- A stranger gets one text message until you reply, with no photos, voice notes, links, numbers or handles
- New accounts can start only 8 new chats a day for their first 48 hours
- No phone number, no OTP and nothing to buy, so nobody on Bakkar has a reason to ask for any of them
- Report and block from every profile, chat, Adda message and Buzz post
More in the help centre and on our safety page.