Scammed in the name of stardom: Bengaluru mom loses Rs 2.9 lakh chasing fake child modelling gig

A 30-year-old mother from Rajajinagar fell victim to an elaborate online scam promising child modelling opportunities, ultimately losing ₹2.9 lakh to fraudsters who exploited her dreams of seeing her child on the big screen.

The woman, identified as Sunitha (name changed), filed a complaint at the Basaveshwaranagar police station after realizing she had been conned by a group operating through Facebook and Telegram, reports The Times of India.

The scam began on March 26, when Sunitha received a message on Facebook from a profile named Emery Lane, offering her child a chance to participate in modelling auditions and paid photoshoots. Hoping to kickstart a career in modelling for her daughter, Sunitha responded eagerly. She was asked to share personal details about her child, including name, age, and location.

What seemed like a harmless opportunity soon turned into a costly trap.

Emery then directed her to complete a few promotional 'tasks' to qualify for auditions—these involved liking and sharing Facebook posts related to child modelling. She was soon connected to a Telegram user with the ID @JohanJR666, who coordinated the so-called tasks, the TOI report added.

At first, the fraudsters paid her small commissions, Rs 50 to Rs 150, for completing simple assignments. Encouraged by these early rewards, Sunitha agreed to participate in higher-paying 'merchant tasks,' which required upfront payments ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000.

Over the next several days, Sunitha made multiple payments, each time being told that she had made an error or needed to complete one more task to unlock her earnings. In total, she ended up transferring Rs 2.9 lakh by April 3.

When the fraudsters began demanding more money to 'release' her earnings, Sunitha finally grew suspicious and approached the police.

A case has now been registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, and investigators are working to trace the digital footprints of the scammers.