Rent a boyfriend, without the scam.
The trend is real and so are the frauds — the Hyderabad Police issued an alert about it in August. This is the version with a name attached: verified people, a public place, a free video call before you agree to anything, and nothing paid in advance to a stranger's UPI.
10 people have raised their hand so far.
How it works
- Check before you pay anyone If someone asks for money before you have seen and spoken to them, it is a fraud. That is the pattern the Hyderabad Police described in August 2026: a convincing profile, often AI-generated photographs, a UPI request, then silence.
- Use a real account, not a social media page A profile you can look at, an identity a human has checked, messages that stay on the platform, and a report button that blocks them instantly. A page on Instagram offers none of that.
- Meet in public, or not at all A café, a function, a public event. Never a hotel room, never someone's flat, never a place you cannot leave on your own.
Who does this
Most of the demand in India is women who need company at a wedding or a family function, people new to a city, and anyone who wants someone to go to an event with. What it is not for: anything sexual or transactional beyond company. That is banned here, it is flagged automatically, and it ends the account.
Where to meet
Anywhere public and busy: a café, a restaurant, a family function, a public event. MeetBefore is built around exactly this and the partner venues signed a charter about it — public seating, staff briefed, and a discreet phrase you can use if you want to leave.
Cities
Is “rent a boyfriend” a scam?
Very often, yes. In August 2026 the Hyderabad Police issued a public alert about rent-a-boyfriend services being used for cyber fraud: fake profiles, AI-generated photographs, an advance payment taken over UPI and then silence. If someone asks you to pay before you have seen and spoken to them, you are being robbed.
How is this different?
Every person here has a real account you can look at, identities are checked by a human before any badge is given, you can take a free video call before agreeing to anything, meetings happen in public places, and you never send money to anyone in advance.
What does “platonic only” mean?
Exactly what it says. MeetBefore is for company — a wedding, a function, a movie, a day out, someone to talk to. Anything sexual or transactional beyond company is banned, is automatically flagged, and gets the account removed. There is no version of this where that changes.
What does it cost?
Nothing is charged through MeetBefore today. Browsing, messaging and intro calls are free, and if you agree something between yourselves later, that is between you — agree it before you meet, never in advance, and never by transferring money to someone you have not met.
Can women hire a companion too?
Yes. Most of the demand in India is women looking for company at a wedding or a family function, and that works the same way here.
What if something feels wrong?
Report from the profile or the chat — reporting also blocks them instantly. A safety report goes to the top of the queue and a named person reads it the same day.
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