Over 150 people lose Rs 1 crore in Karnataka via fake ‘Trump app’ scam: Report
Haveri: More than 150 individuals across Karnataka have reportedly fallen victim to a scam involving a mobile application falsely associated with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The total loss incurred by victims exceeds Rs 1 crore, with cases emerging in cities including Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru, and Haveri, as reported by Deccan Herald on Sunday.
The scam involved the use of a fraudulent mobile application, named after Trump, and an AI-generated video impersonating him, which was circulated widely across social media platforms. The doctored video, which appeared to promote a financial opportunity, misled people into believing it was part of a legitimate campaign.
Victims were reportedly encouraged to call a number displayed alongside the video. Once contact was made, scammers convinced them to invest money with the promise of quick and high returns.
“Victims who fell into the fraudsters’ trap were promised rich rewards for their investment, besides opportunities to work from home. In Haveri alone, more than 15 such people have been swindled,” DH quoted Haveri Cybercrime Economics and Narcotics (CEN) inspector Shivashankar R. Ganachari as saying.
One of the fake apps created by the fraudsters was called ‘Trump Hotel Rental’, and it was promoted with promises that users could double their investments by simply installing the app and completing assigned tasks.
Users were required to pay an initial fee to activate their accounts and begin earning.
“We were asked to pay Rs 1,500 to set up our accounts, and asked to write profiles of companies," DH quoted one of the victims as saying. "Completion of each such task was accompanied by an increase in the money we had supposedly earned on our dashboard. In reality, I lost more than Rs 1 lakh,” rued the victim.
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
