A 38-year-old advocate was duped by cybercriminals who allegedly lured him into investing in a ‘Trump Hotel rentals scheme’ using an AI-generated video of US President Donald Trump promising high returns, police said on May 26.
The issue came to light on May 6, when the advocate approached the Haveri Central Crime Police Station with a complaint.
In his statement, the advocate said that, in January this year, he came across a video on YouTube offering an investment opportunity in ‘Donald Trump Hotel Rentals’. When he clicked on the link, he was directed to download a mobile application.
He was then asked to fill out a form, which included submitting his bank account details and IFSC code.
According to the police, the advocate followed the instructions and paid ₹1,500 to activate his account. He was promised a 3% daily return on his investment.
Initially, he received the promised returns, and made a profit on his investment.
Trusting the scheme, he invested more money when asked by the fraudsters, hoping to double his earnings.
In total, he deposited ₹5,93,240 in various bank accounts, UPI IDs, and digital wallets between January 25 and April 4.
However, he stopped receiving returns, and was also unable to take back the invested amount.
A case has been registered under the IT Act and Section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.
During the investigation, police found that the complainant was tricked through a ‘fake’ link.
Consequently, the bank account to which ₹1.5 lakh was transferred has been frozen, a senior police officer said.
Police have appealed to people to avoid clicking on suspicious links.
Published – May 27, 2025 10:41 am IST
