Investment & crypto

Stock-tip and trading-group scams

A group adviser and apparently successful members may coordinate a pitch to secure your deposits.

A green market line chart displayed on a laptop screen

If you have one minute

Pause, then verify independently.

Members post similar profit images

Before paying

Check advisers in regulatory registers

See verification steps →

If you paid or shared details

Stop following group payment instructions

See response steps →

Start with these three signs

  • Members post similar profit images
  • Only the adviser's app is permitted
  • Pressures members to deposit together

How the situation unfolds

  1. Contact

    Comments under finance videos and unsolicited group invitations.

  2. The lure

    Inside information, expert access, and coordinated trades.

  3. The demand and outcome

    Free tips become a demand to use a particular platform or paid tier, backed by staged group approval.

Verify these things before paying

  1. Check advisers in regulatory registers
  2. Locate the broker independently
  3. Do not treat group chat as evidence

Already engaged or paid?

  1. Stop following group payment instructions
  2. Verify the account with the real broker
  3. Preserve the group and file reports

Contact your payment provider and local police promptly. The responsible institution must confirm whether a payment can be stopped, disputed or returned.

Keep these records

Group invitation
Adviser profile
App download URL
Deposit receipts

Keep originals and organise working copies. Never give strangers verification codes, banking passwords, private keys or seed phrases.

Original references

  • ASIC MoneySmartPublisher location:Australia · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://moneysmart.gov.au/financial-scams/crypto-scams
  • Singapore ScamShieldPublisher location:Singapore · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://www.scamshield.gov.sg/i-want-protection-from-scams/learn-to-recognise-scams/investment-scams/

This page summarises public prevention guidance to help recognise methods. It is not an enforcement conclusion about a particular incident. Check the source page for its original title. Procedures and reporting routes vary by jurisdiction. Compiled October 2026.