‘Trump Hotel Rental’ App Scam: How Over 200 People Lost More Than ₹2 Crore in Online Investment Fraud

In Karnataka, around 200 people fell victim to an online investment scam via a fake ‘Trump Hotel Rental’ app, losing over Rs 2 crore collectively. The scam used AI-generated images of Donald Trump and promised high daily returns by renting virtual hotel rooms. The app operated for 5–6 months, initially allowing small withdrawals to build trust, then stopped functioning when users invested larger sums. Victims were also given fake work-from-home tasks and asked to pay taxes to withdraw money. Police have registered about 15 FIRs and are investigating, warning more victims to come forward as over 800 investors were affected.