What is the recent scam involving a retired bank employee?

A 61-year-old retired bank employee fell victim to a cyber fraud promising high returns on stock market investments and lost over 1 crore.

Who invited the victim to the VIP group?

The victim was invited to join the VIP group by a lady named Angeeta Kumari.

What did Angeeta Kumari ask for after inviting the victim to the VIP group?

Kumari asked for the victim's Aadhaar Card details to sanction her international trading account.

What happened after the victim provided her Aadhaar Card details?

The victim was directed to a ‘share trading’ firm's webpage and later asked to pay large sums as tax and service fees, ultimately losing over 1 crore.

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WhatsApp Scam Alert! Protect Yourself From New Group Message Attacks

Q: How did the WhatsApp group scam start?

The scam began with a Facebook advertisement about share trading, leading the victim to join a WhatsApp group advising on IPO and BSE shares.

Pragya Pathak

Author

Updated: 12-10-2025 at 11:27 PM

With whatsapp scam increasing at an all-time high in the current, constantly evolving technological landscape, it is vital to stay cautious of one’s online presence and surroundings. Recently, a 61-year-old retired bank employee became a victim of cyber fraud. The victim was promised high returns on stock market investments and lost more than 1 crore in the process.

Read the article to learn more about cases of whatsapp scam, ranging from prevention strategies to answers to popular questions like ‘Is it safe to open a WhatsApp message from unknown number?’.

Overview

The table below summarises some key details about instances of scam whatsapp messages that one should be aware of.

Fraud	Scam whatsapp messages
Fraudulent messages received by	Unknown numbers, whatsapp scammer numbers, etc.
Is it safe to open a WhatsApp message from unknown number?	You can open the message; however, please don’t click on any links.
Preventive strategies	Don’t respond, avoid clicking on links, use strong passwords, etc.

How Did The WhatsApp Group Scam Start?

In February, the victim had come across a Facebook advertisement regarding share trading. She then clicked on a link mentioned in the post. The link was directed to join a WhatsApp group that advised her to buy IPO and BSE shares through them.

The victim was then invited to join a VIP group by a lady named Angeeta Kumari. She was then told that her international trading account had been sanctioned and that she needed her Aadhaar Card details next. Without any suspicion, the victim gave her Aadhaar Card details away.

Next, the victim was asked to click on another invitation code link that directed her to a ‘share trading’ firm’s webpage.

In March, the suspicious activities began. The victim was asked to pay Rs 32 Lakh as tax. Then, later, she was asked to pay Rs 95 Lakh as tax. This time, the victim grew a bit suspicious and asked Kumari to deduct the tax amount from the total profit she had made. The victim also asked to give her the rest of the amount after deducting tax, but Kumari refused.

Even after growing suspicious, the victim still decided to trust Kumari and sent her Rs 30 Lakh. The victim then informed that she wanted to withdraw her funds, but Kumari demanded an additional Rs 5 Lakh as a service fee.

The victim ultimately lost more than Rs 1 crore before she decided to take action against it. She had exhausted all her savings and finally decided to go to the police and file a case under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

How To Stay Cautious Of Such Scams?

Some effective tips that can aid you in staying cautious of fraudulent messages from whatsapp scammer numbers are laid out below in brief points for one’s reference:

Never respond to messages asking for personal or financial details.
Never click on links that you don’t know about.
Remember that legitimate organisations would never ask people to send personal details via a message.
Use strong passwords and set up two-factor authentication.
Always be suspicious of random numbers to stay ahead.
Even while sharing personal details via message or call, make sure you know and trust the person.
Always stay up-to-date with the news to be aware of the various kinds of scams, such as Whatsapp scam alert group message attacks Telegram or Whatsapp scam alert group message attacks India.
Be suspicious of any deals offered that sound too good to be true.

Recent Trend On WhatsApp Scam

According to this year’s report by Meta, the company has removed more than 6.8 million accounts as they were on the WhatsApp scammer list, who conducted fraudulent activities in the form of various messages concerning crypto, investment traps, etc. Such whatsapp scams have increased by 63% compared to last year, and many people have lost their funds to such fraudsters.

Conclusion

The fact is, it is very important to stay safe when surfing the internet. Therefore, always be cautious of your activity on the internet to stay safe. And, if you get any offers that sound too good to be true, it probably is. In case of any suspicious activities, it is recommended to contact higher authorities immediately.

Stay updated with Jaagruk Bharat to get the latest information on government schemes and more, and reach out to us via our community page if you have any questions.

Visit Jaagruk Bharat’s Cyber Crime Complaint Service

At Jaagruk Bharat, we’re committed to helping you stay safe online. If you’ve been a victim or suspect of fraud, visit our Cyber Crime Complaint Page to report the incident and seek guidance. Our team ensures your complaint is directed to the right authorities with clarity and speed.

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