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Police Probe Messaging-App Investment Scams in India as Secunderabad Loss Hits ₹72 Lakh

Complaints describe messaging groups on WhatsApp, Telegram that impersonated brokerage staff, steering victims into UPI transfers via fake trading dashboards.

Overview

  • Cybercrime units registered cases after a 59-year-old Secunderabad resident reported losing about ₹72 lakh through a fake stock trading and IPO scheme run via a WhatsApp group.
  • The Secunderabad complaint says a Facebook post posing as a reputed brokerage redirected the victim to a group where purported experts shared tips and secured KYC to open a sham prime account.
  • Displayed gains on a fraudulent dashboard allegedly prompted larger deposits, followed by demands for commissions, VIP fees and explanations about credit score issues when the victim tried to withdraw.
  • In a separate case, a Chandigarh resident reported a ₹3.82 lakh loss after joining a WhatsApp group named DH197 and being guided via a Telegram channel to make multiple UPI transfers over two days.
  • Police say investigations are underway to trace mobile numbers, Telegram accounts and UPI transaction details tied to the complaints, with no arrests reported in the coverage.