Investment scams that promise a fixed return

The pitch is a fixed daily or monthly return, often in a WhatsApp or Telegram group, or in an app someone sent you. The screen shows a profit. The money is not in your bank, and the withdrawal never quite arrives.

How the money gets stuck

1. Someone adds you to a group, or a celebrity-style ad promises a sure return. Early messages show screenshots of profits.

2. You invest a small amount. The app may even let a small withdrawal through, so the next amount feels safe.

3. A larger balance appears. When you try to take it out, the app asks for tax, GST, or a verification fee.

4. That fee does not release the money. The group, the app, or the “advisor” then goes quiet or asks for more.

Checks before you send anything

• No one can honestly guarantee a daily return. A promise like that is the warning, not the opportunity.

• A film star or business figure in an advertisement is not a registration. Check the firm on sebi.gov.in before you send money. If you cannot find it there, do not send money.

• RBI and SEBI do not run investment groups on WhatsApp.

• Install apps from the store yourself. A link in a chat is how fake trading apps arrive.

• A balance inside their website is not your money. Your money is the amount that can return to your own bank account without a new fee.

If you already paid a “tax” or “unlock” fee, stop paying. Further fees do not bring the earlier amount back. Call 1930 with the UPI or account details you paid.

If money has already left your account, call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in. This page is awareness information. It does not file a complaint.