From victim to fraudster: Unemployed Delhi youth duped by fake playboy job ad now caught running same gigolo racket

A 27-year-old shoe salesman from Inderlok, Delhi, searching for a part-time job online, ended up losing ₹27,135 to a scam promising high-paying “playboy” assignments. Acting on his complaint, the cyber police of Delhi’s Central district arrested two men accused of running the fraudulent operation. The accused, identified as Himanshu (25) and Vishal (19), were operating the scam from Nangloi and used fake job listings to cheat male job-seekers, a TOI report stated.

Scam began with online job ad

The victim came across a listing online that offered “playboy jobs” with attractive pay for each visit to women clients. After calling the number in the ad, he was asked to pay various fees for registration, cab booking, hotel room, massage kit, and other services. After transferring ₹27,135 without receiving any job confirmation, he realised it was a fraud and registered a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Portal.

Police tracked accused through technical surveillance

DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan said, “While searching for part-time work online, he found a listing for 'playboy jobs' offering a generous package for each visit to female clients. What followed was a series of demands for payments, each disguised as necessary fees. When he realised the so-called employer only wanted money and no job ever materialised, he filed a complaint.”


A case was registered, and a police team led by inspector Sandeep Panwar and supervised by ACP Suresh Khunga was formed. “Though the mobile numbers used by the suspects were switched off, the team relied on technical surveillance to trace the digital footprint. Eventually, the two accused were arrested,” Valsan said.

Scammers assumed men would stay silent

Police recovered four mobile phones and two SIM cards used in the crime. “The accused had procured SIM cards using fake identities and posted gigolo job listings on various free classifieds websites,” an officer said.

During questioning, both accused told police they targeted male victims assuming they would not report the matter due to embarrassment. Himanshu, who holds a diploma in architecture but is unemployed, said he had himself fallen victim to a similar fraud two years ago. Vishal, a school pass-out from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, joined Himanshu in the scam to deal with financial debt.

The police have advised job seekers to stay cautious of too-good-to-be-true offers and to verify opportunities through legitimate sources before making any payment.