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Scam Help / Is Your WhatsApp Stock Tip Group or Trading App a Scam?

Scam Help · Free public service

Is Your WhatsApp Stock Tip Group or Trading App a Scam?

Treat any stock tip group that invited you without asking as a scam until proven otherwise. SEBI says fraud groups use fake experts and fake profit stories. If an app shows big profits but asks for a fee to withdraw, stop paying and call 1930 at once.

We are a private organisation. We are not police, a bank or a regulator, and we cannot recover money. This page explains how the scam works and where to report it, using official sources and news reports of police action. Nothing here is a promise that money can be returned.

How does a WhatsApp or Telegram stock tip scam start?

It starts with a message you did not ask for. It may be a link to a "VIP Group" or "Free Trading Courses" group. It may come from an ad on social media or a cold call. SEBI, the market regulator, says these groups usually begin with unsolicited invitations.

For part-time job scams, the first message offers easy paid tasks like reviews or likes. In one Delhi case, a Telegram review job led to a second contact who pushed an investment scheme.

Source: SEBI press release PR No. 27/2025, 21 May 2025. Delhi case: The Hans India, news report of Delhi Police action, 2026.

How do scammers build trust over weeks?

The group looks busy and friendly. You see an "expert" with a fancy profile. You see screenshots of big profits. You see other members saying thank you. SEBI says the expert profiles are fake, and the testimonials come from group members who play a supporting role in the scam.

Some pretend to be SEBI registered advisers, well known public figures or company heads. Then you get a small win. You make a small trade, or you are shown a small profit. It feels real, so you trust the group more and put in more money.

The US Federal Trade Commission describes the same pattern in investment scams: a friendly adviser, then a group chat of "successful investors" sharing made-up stories.

Source: SEBI press release PR No. 27/2025, 21 May 2025. US FTC press release, 27 April 2026, on 2025 social media scams.

What is the fake profits screen?

You are told to install a private trading app. You get it by a web link or an apk file, not from an official app store. The numbers on it are made up. It is not connected to any real stock exchange. The profit you see is only a number on a screen.

SEBI lists the perks that scamsters pitch with these apps: an institutional trading account, IPOs at a discounted price, block trades at a discount, and "sure shot" IPO allocation.

Source: SEBI press release, 11 April 2025. SEBI Investor website leaflet, Beware of Fake Trading App Scams, read Oct 2026.

What is the withdrawal fee trap?

You see a large profit and try to take it out. Now the app or the "manager" asks for a commission, tax, fee or deposit first. You pay. Then comes another demand. Each payment is followed by a new one.

In the end the app stops working, the group goes silent, or you are removed. Some victims are then contacted by a "recovery agent". That can be a second scam. The US FTC and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre both warn that recovery scammers target people who already lost money and ask for a fee up front.

Source: SEBI (11 Apr 2025) and the cases below. FTC consumer alert, 3 August 2026. Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Recovery pitch page, read 4 October 2026.

What do real cases look like?

These are anonymised cases from news reports of police action. Amounts are as reported. Allegations are not court findings.

Case 1: Valsad, Gujarat, 2026

What happened. A man was added to WhatsApp groups with "VIP" style names. A fake investment firm promised high returns from institutional share trading. He sent about Rs 1,46,75,000 (as reported) to several bank accounts while a fake app showed rising profits. When he tried to withdraw, he was told to pay a further 15 per cent commission. Police arrested two people, and the report also mentions an earlier third arrest. The report says Rs 53,97,797 was later recovered through the cyber fraud helpline process. Do not read that as a normal outcome.

The tell. Payments went to several bank accounts, and the withdrawal needed a "commission".

What would have helped. Checking the firm on SEBI's intermediaries page before the first payment. Refusing to pay into personal or third-party accounts.

Source: Punjab Kesari English, news report of police action, dated 16 September 2026.

Case 2: Hyderabad, Telangana, Oct 2025 to Jan 2026

What happened. An IT professional found a trading link through a WhatsApp number. He was added to a group sharing stock tips, profit screenshots and trading histories. He was told to install a trading app and helped to set up an account. He was promised risk-free IPO allocations and easy withdrawal. Small profits were shown first. Then he sent larger amounts by IMPS and RTGS, from December 2025 to January 2026, to many accounts in different banks. He lost Rs 3,26,83,750 (as reported). Cybercrime police registered a case.

The tell. "Risk-free" IPO allocation, an app from a web link, and many different bank accounts.

What would have helped. Stopping at the first request to pay a stranger's account. Checking the app against the authentic apps listed on SEBI's investor site.

Source: Hyderabad Mail, news report, case from 31 October 2025.

Case 3: Churu, Rajasthan, Apr to May 2025

What happened. A man was added to a WhatsApp group promoting stock market profits. He filled an online form to "join" a fake investment company and deposited money into several accounts. A fake dashboard showed rising profits. He was then offered a Rs 1.20 crore interest-free loan that needed more deposits. When he refused to pay more, his account was frozen. He lost Rs 43.90 lakh (as reported). A suspect was later arrested in Gujarat.

The tell. A "loan" from the group to invest more, and a freeze the moment he stopped paying.

What would have helped. Treating any offer of a loan to invest more as a stop sign. SEBI says to avoid pressure to decide fast.

Source: The420.in, news report. Case registered 29 May 2025.

In the Delhi case, the money moved through bank accounts supplied to the fraud network. Police arrested two young men in Rajasthan accused of providing those accounts. The victim had paid Rs 2,84,100 by UPI and IMPS (as reported).

Source: The Hans India, news report of Delhi Police action, complaint 9 July 2026, arrests 31 July 2026.

What are the warning signs?

Source: SEBI press releases of 21 May 2025 and 11 April 2025. SEBI Investor website, Beware of Fake Trading App Scams and Staying Away from Investment Frauds, read Oct 2026.

How do I check an adviser or app against official registers?

  1. Ask for the exact name of the firm and its SEBI registration.
  2. Look the firm up on SEBI's intermediaries page on sebi.gov.in. SEBI advises dealing only with registered intermediaries.
  3. For apps, use only the authentic apps listed on SEBI's investor site (investor.sebi.gov.in).
  4. If the name is not there, stop. A certificate sent as a picture proves nothing.
  5. Do not trust a number you were given by the same person who is selling to you.

Decision point. If the firm is not on the list, do not pay. If it is on the list but asks you to pay a personal account, do not pay either. SEBI says investor protection, SCORES and exchange dispute resolution are not available if you deal with unregistered intermediaries or apps.

You can share details of unregistered platforms with SEBI on its Market Intelligence portal, mi.sebi.gov.in.

Source: SEBI press releases of 21 May 2025 and 11 April 2025.

What should I do in the next hour, day and week?

In the next hour

  1. Stop paying. Do not pay any withdrawal fee, commission or tax. The next demand is already waiting.
  2. Call the cyber fraud helpline 1930 if you have already sent money. The system works on stopping money in transit, so speed matters.
  3. Do not accept a "loan" or any offer to invest more.

By the end of the day

  1. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, the national reporting portal run under I4C.
  2. Tell someone you trust. Scammers want you too rushed or too ashamed to ask anyone.
  3. Ignore anyone who contacts you offering to get your money back for a fee. The FTC says neither government agencies nor legitimate organisations ask for money for this.

Within the week

  1. Report the app or group to SEBI at mi.sebi.gov.in.
  2. Do not join new groups or apps promising to make up the loss.
  3. Do not expect SCORES or exchange dispute help for dealings with an unregistered firm. SEBI says these are not available.

Source: SEBI Investor website leaflet, read Oct 2026. Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 432, 2 December 2025. FTC consumer alert, 3 August 2026.

How big is the problem, and will I get my money back?

The Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament that incidents on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal rose from 1,029,026 in 2022 to 1,596,493 in 2023 and 2,268,346 in 2024. Losses reported by citizens for all cyber fraud types were Rs 2,290.24 crore in 2022, Rs 7,465.18 crore in 2023 and Rs 22,845.73 crore in 2024. These figures cover all cyber fraud, not only investment scams.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 432, answered 2 December 2025. Period: calendar years 2022 to 2024.

ThePrint, citing MHA data, reported that investment fraud made up 76 per cent of the money lost in 2025. Another outlet, The420.in, citing I4C data, reported that investment schemes were 77 per cent of fraud by type. The two reports give different 2025 totals, so treat those as reported figures only.

Source: ThePrint, 21 February 2026 (citing MHA data); The420.in (citing I4C data). Period: calendar year 2025. News reports, not Ministry documents.

On money back, the MHA figures are sobering. For financial years 2023-24 to 2025-26, more than Rs 56,087 crore was reported lost, more than Rs 9,079 crore was marked as lien, and more than Rs 206 crore was refunded. Separately, MHA says the helpline system has saved more than Rs 11,158 crore in more than 32.80 lakh complaints since 2021, up to 30 June 2026. That is money stopped in transit, not a refund promise. Getting money back is not assured, which is why speed and stopping further payments matter most.

Source: PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), 22 July 2026 and 28 July 2026. Periods: financial years 2023-24 to 2025-26; cumulative 2021 to 30 June 2026.

I4C and banks are also acting together. MHA says transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore were declined under the Suspect Registry between 10 September 2024 and 30 June 2026.

Source: PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), 28 July 2026.

Quick answers

Is a WhatsApp stock tip group safe?

Not if a stranger added you. SEBI warns against unsolicited invitations to groups like "VIP Group" and "Free Trading Courses". It advises people not to trust such messages and not to join these groups.

Why won't the app let me withdraw my profit?

The profit on a fake trading app is only a number on a screen. It is not connected to a real exchange. The demand for a commission, tax or fee before withdrawal is how the scam takes more money. Each payment is followed by another demand.

How do I check if an adviser is real?

Look the firm up on SEBI's intermediaries page on sebi.gov.in before you invest. For apps, use only those listed on SEBI's investor site. A SEBI certificate sent as a picture is not proof.

Who do I call if I already paid?

Call 1930 at once and file at cybercrime.gov.in. Report quickly, because the system works on stopping money in transit. Refund depends on police and courts, and nobody can promise it.

Will someone get my money back for a fee?

No. Offers to recover lost money for a fee are a known second scam. The FTC says neither government agencies nor legitimate organisations ask for money to help you recover it. We cannot recover money either.

What to do now

More help on this site

Sources checked 3 October 2026

Figures are as reported by the named agencies for the periods shown. Reporting rules differ by country, so totals are not directly comparable.