It didn’t begin with likes, follows, or small online tasks. This time, the bait was a game—a seemingly fun, harmless way to make money fast. “Download this gaming app and win ₹5,000 in an hour! No investment. No risk. Real cash.” That was the Instagram DM Payal Sawant, a 28-year-old marketing executive from Vadodara, received […]
“The real money is made from hope. Not honesty.” That line wasn’t spoken in some crime thriller. It was the unspoken motto of Chander Mohan Singh, a 32-year-old orchestrator of chaos. But here’s the twist—he didn’t run his scam from a shady brokerage office or some offshore bunker. He did it from Tihar Jail. Inside
“Bro, this stock’s going from ₹18 to ₹130 in just 2 months!”“Adani is going to invest in this company.” “It’s debt-free, fundamentally strong, and working on national projects!” Sounds tempting, right? That’s exactly what thousands of retail investors heard when they clicked on videos from YouTube channels ‘Profit Yatra’ and ‘Midcap Calls’. But as SEBI
“I invested ₹3 lakhs in 2010. They said it’s a SEBI-approved fund focused on films. It sounded exciting, new… and safe. But it’s 2025 now, and I still haven’t got my money back.” That’s just one of the many voices buried under the weight of a fund that promised dreams and delivered silence. This is
It began, like many scams do, with a phone call that sounded perfectly normal. “Ma’am, this is regarding your father’s medical insurance policy. We noticed a discrepancy in the renewal process. If it’s not updated soon, the coverage will lapse.” For Aarti (name changed), a retired professor from Sweden varsity, the call felt like a
It started like any other bank story. A local cooperative bank, loyal depositors, and regular branches in middle-class neighbourhoods. Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank, or PMC Bank, was a name people trusted. Not a flashy private bank, not a slow-moving PSU—but just the right kind of mix. Safe. Familiar. Or so it seemed. Until one
“Papa, when are we moving into our new flat?” Ramesh looked away from the rearview mirror, unable to meet his daughter’s hopeful eyes. “Soon, beta, very soon,” he lied, clenching the steering wheel. He had said the same thing last year. And the year before that. This is not a story of delays. This is
“Ma’am, this is an urgent call from the Reserve Bank. We’ve flagged suspicious activity on your FD. Please verify your identity immediately to prevent account suspension.” That’s how it began. Anita (name changed), a 45-year-old school teacher from Chandigarh, received a call that sounded serious and authentic. It was about her fixed deposit worth several
There’s something about numbers moving on a screen that draws people in. For some, it’s adrenaline. For others, it’s an opportunity. And for a few, like in this story, it’s the temptation to cut corners for quick gains. This is the tale of Patel Wealth Advisors Pvt. Ltd., a seemingly well-established stockbroking firm, and how
“Sir, can I just make a quick call to my wife? My phone’s dead.” Murlidhar Gajbhiye, the 70-year-old owner of the venue, nodded and handed over his phone, unaware that this small act of trust would nearly cost him his bank account. “Sure, beta,” he said, fishing out his smartphone. “Just don’t take too long,
It started like many other cases do — with a quiet knock at the police station and a man holding a crumpled bunch of deposit slips in shaking hands. “I lost everything, sir… ₹7.8 lakh,” he told P J Kuriakose, Station House Officer at Thadiyittaparambu. “They said I was earning profits through some trading app.
It was a cold morning in January 2025 when Ananya Verma received an email that would shatter her dreams. As a bright student from Noida, she had enrolled in FIITJEE’s Sector 62 center, paying a hefty fee for their renowned coaching program. The email, however, was anything but reassuring. “Dear Student,” it began, “We regret
