Investment
Trading and crypto group fraud
A group shows profit screenshots and a fake app where your balance rises. Withdrawals are blocked until you pay 'tax'.
Warning signs
- Guaranteed high returns
- Withdrawal blocked until an extra fee is paid
How the fraud works
A WhatsApp or Telegram group run by a 'research team' posts accurate-looking stock calls, often after the market has already moved. Members share profits continuously. Most of those members are part of the operation.
You are then asked to install an app from a link rather than an app store, where a dashboard shows your holdings growing. One small withdrawal is usually allowed. The large one is blocked behind a tax, a margin call, or a settlement fee.
The usual sequence
Added to a group promising institutional access or guaranteed returns.
Calls appear accurate because they are posted after the fact.
An app is installed from a link, outside the Play Store or App Store.
A small withdrawal succeeds and removes your doubt.
Large withdrawals require an upfront fee, then the group disappears.
Who is targeted most
Salaried professionals, retirees with savings, and first-time investors.
How to protect yourself
- Check the entity on the SEBI register before transferring anything.
- Guaranteed returns are not legal to promise in Indian markets.
- No broker collects tax on your gains in advance.
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