What are the red flags of this scam?

No SEBI-registered broker offers 'guaranteed' returns — this is illegal • You were added to the group without your consent • Initial small investments appear profitable to build trust • Withdrawals are blocked or require you to pay taxes or fees first • Group members are fake accounts created to show social proof

What should I do if this happened to me?

Stop investing immediately and exit the WhatsApp or Telegram group • Do not pay any 'tax' or 'processing fee' to release funds — you will not get your money back this way • Verify any broker's SEBI registration at https://www.sebi.gov.in/sebiweb/other/OtherAction.do?doRecognisedFpi=yes&intmId=13 • Contact your bank immediately if you made a payment in the last 24-48 hours • Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

HIGH investment Share

WhatsApp group with a famous broker giving guaranteed stock tips

You are added to a WhatsApp or Telegram group where a supposed SEBI-registered broker shares tips that seem to deliver big returns. Investing more becomes impossible to withdraw without paying a "tax" or "fee."

Also known as: WhatsApp stock tip scam, Telegram investment fraud, pump and dump WhatsApp, fake SEBI broker

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

Call 1930 now

1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.

What to do right now

1 Stop investing immediately and exit the WhatsApp or Telegram group
2 Do not pay any 'tax' or 'processing fee' to release funds — you will not get your money back this way
3 Verify any broker's SEBI registration at https://www.sebi.gov.in/sebiweb/other/OtherAction.do?doRecognisedFpi=yes&intmId=13
4 Contact your bank immediately if you made a payment in the last 24-48 hours
5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

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Red flags

⚠ No SEBI-registered broker offers 'guaranteed' returns — this is illegal
⚠ You were added to the group without your consent
⚠ Initial small investments appear profitable to build trust
⚠ Withdrawals are blocked or require you to pay taxes or fees first
⚠ Group members are fake accounts created to show social proof

Known variants

Facebook NBFC impersonation variant (June 2026): victim contacted on Facebook by a woman impersonating an employee of a Mumbai-based NBFC, directed to an investment platform. Funds spread across 33+ bank accounts then re-layered. Delhi Police arrested four; ₹5.92 crore defrauded from a single victim.

Last seen: 6/22/2026
Telegram or WhatsApp group run by fake 'crypto trading experts' promises 10x returns. A proprietary trading platform shows fabricated account growth. Withdrawals require paying 'capital gains tax' or 'upgrade fees' first.

Last seen: 5/18/2026
A deepfake video of a BSE official, famous market expert, or celebrity (Mukesh Ambani, Narayana Murthy, Virat Kohli, Sadhguru) appears on social media urging viewers to join a 'VIP investment channel' or download a trading app for 'guaranteed' returns. Bengaluru: ₹95 lakh lost across two victims.

Last seen: 6/22/2026
Unauthorized forex platforms (Starnet FX, CapPlace, Mirrox) added to RBI's FEMA Alert List in 2026 are promoted via Instagram and Telegram promising 5–15% daily returns. Fake dashboards show profits; withdrawals require a 'FEMA compliance fee' that disappears once paid.

Last seen: 5/19/2026
Scammers call claiming the trading app 'suffered a cyber attack' and demand an urgent transfer to a 'secure backup account' to save the investment. This panic-transfer pretext was used in Pune and Hyderabad in 2026 to extract tens of lakhs in final transfers.

Last seen: 5/19/2026
Ponzi disguised as algorithmic/bot trading: promises 5–20% monthly returns. Victims recruited via Telegram and luxury-hotel seminars with planted 'beneficiaries' testifying. Operates under rotating aliases (QFX, YFX, Cross Market, Mine Crypto) and foreign servers to evade tracing. Jodhpur: ₹4 crore, 200 victims.

Last seen: 5/30/2026
Deepfake of FM Nirmala Sitharaman or PM Modi endorsing 'Quantum AI' on Facebook/Instagram, promising ₹3–5.5 lakh/week on ₹22,000. PIB debunked May 24, July 9, July 31, 2026. Victims: Gwalior CA (₹21 cr), Uttarakhand (₹66 lakh), Belagavi (₹7.9 lakh), Bengaluru professor (₹61 lakh), Pune businessman (₹1.07 cr, Instagram ad).

Last seen: 8/19/2026
SEBI fininfluencer SME pump-and-dump: unregistered 'analysts' accumulate illiquid SME stock positions, then post bullish tips on X, WhatsApp and Telegram to inflate prices, sell at peak. Family of 7 behind handles @WealthSolitaire and @desiwallstreet earned ₹20.25 cr illegally; SEBI ban order May 22, 2026.

Last seen: 5/30/2026
Fake dashboard showing artificial profits up to ₹50 crore: victim deposits ₹5–6 crore expecting withdrawal, platform shows massive unrealized gain, then every withdrawal triggers a new fee — 'capital gains tax', 'upgrade', 'compliance'. Bengaluru victim lost ₹5.95 crore; a Delhi bust uncovered ₹100 crore scam targeting 600+ investors.

Last seen: 6/5/2026
Nationwide agent-network ponzi: mastermind Jatindra Ram ran Sea Prime Capital with 3,500+ agents, 30,000+ user IDs, forex/crypto via MT5 app (not authorised in India). Promised high returns; ₹700–800 crore defrauded. UP STF busted the network in April 2026.

Last seen: 6/5/2026
NSE-flagged 'Online Dabba Trading' Telegram channel: operators offer stock tips, assured returns, and account-handling outside SEBI regulation. Victim money enters an unregulated parallel market and is lost when the operator disappears. Karnataka victim lost ₹56.3 lakh via fabricated profit dashboards on a Telegram-promoted platform.

Last seen: 6/9/2026
Fake branded trading app 'Citadel Security': victim added to WhatsApp investment group, directed to download Citadel Security app promising high IPO and share market returns. Fake profit dashboards shown; withdrawals blocked. Goa: ₹4.23 crore lost; linked cases in Karnataka, UP; accused arrested in Kerala June 7, 2026.

Last seen: 6/12/2026
ED money-laundering probe (June 2026): ₹18.4 crore frozen across 129 accounts linked to fake apps CHCSES, ALICE and ESCORTS promoted via WhatsApp groups 'Stock Frontline C4' and 'Vanguard C7'. Victims shown inflated profits then blocked; proceeds laundered via mule accounts, trusts and payment gateways.

Last seen: 6/21/2026
SEBI PR 32/2026 pre-IPO / unlisted securities scam (June 2026): WhatsApp or Telegram groups offer pre-listing shares of upcoming IPOs at 'insider allocations'. Shares are either nonexistent or illiquid; profits never materialise. SEBI's June 17, 2026 advisory warned investors to transact only through registered intermediaries and SEBI-approved platforms.

Last seen: 7/8/2026
Foreign bank brand impersonation: WhatsApp contact claims to represent 'Barclays Investment Group' or a similar foreign bank, offers 30–40% returns. Funds deposited to mule accounts. Withdrawal blocked by 'FEMA compliance fees' or 'international wire charges'. Hyderabad: ₹1.22 crore, 6 arrested June 24, 2026.

Last seen: 7/8/2026
Stranger-contact pig-butchering via WhatsApp (July 2026): unknown person messages 'wrong number' or 'hello, this is [name]', builds rapport over weeks, then introduces USDT/crypto platform. Small real payout builds trust; large sums invested on fake dashboard. Withdrawal blocked by fees; contact goes silent. Gwalior CA lost ₹21.06 crore over 7 months.

Last seen: 7/16/2026
Fake IPO investment platform (Rajasthan, July 2026): victims lured via WhatsApp/Telegram into investing in 'Satkar Shopping IPO'; withdrawal blocked with 'account blocked by foreign regulatory authority' message. ₹50 crore defrauded; two directors of Delhi-based Terrapulse Private Limited arrested.

Last seen: 7/25/2026
Celebrity name-drop investment fraud (August 2026): WhatsApp stock tip group uses names of famous figures (Sachin Tendulkar, Sudha Murty) without authorization to appear credible. Retired Bhilai government employee lost ₹45.19 lakh; withdrawal blocked by capital gains tax demand.

Last seen: 8/16/2026
ACI Century App fake IPO (pan-India, Aug 2026): WhatsApp/Facebook ads invited victims to VIP group ACI Exclusive Guidance Group. Victims downloaded ACI Century App via private link, deposited funds, then found withdrawal blocked. UP STF arrested mastermind in Nagpur; 3,087 NCRP complaints, ~₹2,934 crore defrauded.

Last seen: 8/17/2026
Indore mall call centre fake forex (Aug 2026): callers first facilitated real stock trades to build trust, then pivoted victims onto a fictitious forex platform showing fabricated profits; withdrawals blocked with fake loss reports. 6 arrested; 28 CPUs and 1,400+ investor-data spreadsheets seized.

Last seen: 8/17/2026
Fantasy gaming platform as investment hook (Aug 2026): UP STF arrested Anurag Srivastava behind My Ground 11 Gaming Zone — a gaming app used to build trust with small fantasy-game payouts before pivoting users to a fake IPO investment platform with fabricated dashboards. Withdrawal blocked by escalating tax demands. Connected to ₹2,934 crore fraud network.

Last seen: 8/23/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources