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
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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
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A deepfake video of a BSE official, famous market expert, or celebrity appears on social media or WhatsApp urging viewers to join a 'VIP investment channel' or download a trading app for 'guaranteed IPO allotments' and super-normal returns.
Last seen: 5/18/2026
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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
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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
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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
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Deepfake video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or PM Modi endorsing 'Quantum AI' platform on Facebook ads, promising ₹3–5.5 lakh/week on ₹22,000 investment. PIB Fact Check debunked May 24, 2026. Victims in Uttarakhand (₹66 lakh) and Belagavi (₹7.9 lakh) documented.
Last seen: 5/27/2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Sources
- SEBI — Investor Awareness on WhatsApp Tips
- I4C — Investment Fraud Advisory
- RBI Sachet — Unregulated Entities
- The420.in — Pune cyber fraud victims lose over Rs 1.08 crore to Telegram investment scams
- The420.in — Hyderabad Software Engineer Loses ₹3.2 Crore in Fake Stock Trading App Scam
- The420.in — 53 Lakh Online Trading Scam: Pune Woman Duped by Fake App and False Profit Promises
- The Bridge Chronicle — Pune Stock Scam: Investors Lose ₹9.31 Crore in Fake Trading Fraud
- The Tribune — RBI adds seven more platforms to Alert List of unauthorised forex trading platforms
- The420.in — Trading Trap via WhatsApp: Mumbai Project Manager Duped of ₹1.23 Crore in Fake App Scam
- The420.in — Cyber Fraud in Uttarakhand: ₹64.72 Lakh Duped by Fake 'India Nivesh' Official
- The420.in — Cambodia-Linked ₹4.5 Crore Trading Scam: Eight Arrested in Delhi Crackdown
- The420.in — Bot Bro Scam Exposed: ₹4 Crore Digital Investment Fraud Leaves 200 Victims
- The Week / PIB Fact Check — Deepfake of FM Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing Quantum AI (May 24, 2026)
- Deccan Herald — 50-year-old Bengaluru man loses ₹5.95 crore to fake trading platform showing ₹50 crore profit
- The420.in — ₹10,000 Complaint Triggers ₹100 Crore Cyber Trading Scam Bust: 600+ Investors Duped
- Amar Ujala — Kanpur multi-crore investment fraud from Delhi call centre, 5 arrested (May 30, 2026)
- Business Standard — Fake trading apps, shell firms: ₹800 cr investment scam busted by UP cops (April 2026)
- The420.in — Investor Loses ₹1.09 Crore After Falling for WhatsApp Trading Scheme (New Panvel, June 2026)
- Unique Times — NSE Warns Investors Against Illegal Dabba Trading Networks on Telegram (2026)
- Business Standard — Inside India's growing Dabba Trading Scam and why investors are at risk (April 2026)
- The420.in — Telegram 'Trading Profits' Trap Costs Karnataka Man ₹56.3 Lakh, Cyber Police Launch Probe (June 2026)
- O Heraldo Goa / The420.in — Goa Police Arrest Accused in ₹4.23 Crore Investment Fraud via Fake 'Citadel Security' Trading App (June 7, 2026)
- The420.in — Gurugram Police arrest 43, bust ₹159 crore investment fraud network via WhatsApp and Telegram (June 2026)
- Free Press Journal — Retired Pune IT professional duped of ₹4.43 crore via fake 'HSBC Stock Analysis Team' WhatsApp group (June 2026)