Fraud stories

Real accounts sent in by readers, reviewed by our team before publishing. Names and identifying details are removed.

Four hours on a video call with a fake CBI officer

A retired teacher was told a parcel in her name held banned items. She was kept on camera and told not to contact family.

Pune, Maharashtra

Task scam

The first three payments arrived. The fourth needed a deposit.

A student earned 1,200 rupees for liking videos, then was asked to deposit to unlock a bigger task set.

Patna, Bihar

UPI

Scanned a QR to receive payment for a sofa

A buyer sent a QR code and said scanning it would credit the amount. The money left the account instead.

Jaipur, Rajasthan

KYC

An SMS said the account would be blocked by evening

The link opened a page that looked exactly like the bank's. The shopkeeper entered his details in a hurry.

Ludhiana, Punjab

Loan app

The app called every contact in the phone

A 5,000 rupee loan turned into threats to family and colleagues within four days.

Hyderabad, Telangana

Investment

The trading app showed profits that could not be withdrawn

Every withdrawal request returned a new fee. The group disappeared the day he stopped paying.

Surat, Gujarat

This account was submitted by a reader and reviewed by our moderation team. Names, numbers and identifying details have been removed. It is published for awareness and is not a legal record.