Particle.news
Download on the App Store

India Sees Surge in WhatsApp Trading Scams as Police File FIRs and Make Arrests

Police warn of sophisticated schemes using fake trading apps, impersonation.

Overview

  • Navi Mumbai cyber police registered an FIR after a 71-year-old Vashi businessman lost ₹1.6 crore through WhatsApp groups pushing a fake ‘NB Trusted Partner’ app that displayed fabricated profits and blocked withdrawals.
  • Thane police opened a case as a 78-year-old man transferred ₹1.06 crore across 21 transactions after being moved between WhatsApp investment groups that promised high returns.
  • Hyderabad’s cybercrime wing issued a public advisory describing manipulated trading dashboards, repeated ‘fees’ at withdrawal, and urged SEBI verification, use of helpline 1930 and the national portal for rapid reporting.
  • Authorities reported coercive ‘digital arrest’ extortions: Nagpur police arrested three suspects from Gujarat over a ₹1.51 crore case, while fresh complaints in Jabalpur and Bengaluru detailed losses up to ₹80.5 lakh to callers posing as officials.
  • Delhi Police said a cross‑border syndicate laundered a ₹33 lakh investment-fraud haul through shell firms and USDT to a Chinese‑linked entity, announcing a key arrest on December 6 after an earlier arrest on November 19; Andhra Pradesh police separately nabbed a SIM‑swap suspect and recovered ₹2.6 lakh.