- By Shubham Bajpai
- Tue, 27 May 2025 04:04 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a shocking development, a fraudulent app named after US President Donald Trump was used to lure and dupe nearly 800 investors in Karnataka, as per a report by The Times of India (ToI).
According to the report, the scam came to light after the Karnataka Police received complaints from more than 200 investors who collectively lost Rs 2 crore to the app, Trump Hotel Rental, in the past 5-6 months.
The app 'Trump Hotel Rental' used AI-generated videos and images of the US President Donald Trump to look legitimate. Reportedly, the app lured users with promises of job opportunities and lucrative investment schemes offering up to 100 per cent returns within a short period.
The police have claimed that the scam continued for 5-6 months before it was exposed and is expected to have duped over 800 investors, with some having invested more than Rs 10 lakh in the hope of a quick return. The app is now defunct and has been taken down.
TOI, based on sources, claimed that a dashboard on the app would show the earnings on an investment. This was used by the unidentified scammers as bait to attract more investments.
The police officer said, "Each completed task (assigned to an investor) appeared to increase their 'earnings' on the app dashboard, but the money was never real."
"A total of 15 cases have been registered in the Haveri district. Many victims lost money in the same scheme, but they have not come forward to file a complaint," he added.
One of the victims, a lawyer, lost Rs 6 lakh between January 25 and April 4. The police are investigating the case based on complaints filed at several police stations in Karnataka, including in Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru, Kalburgi, Hubballi, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Ballari, Bidar, and Haveri.