🎥 An Awareness Documentary by Aryan Giri

💔 Romance Scam (Telegram)

Romance scammers are increasingly moving to Telegram, using dating bots, fake profiles, and AI-generated photos to lure victims. They exploit Telegram’s privacy features and lesser oversight compared to dating apps.

🚩 How They Operate:

• Target users on dating apps/social media, then shift chat to Telegram.
• Send flirty messages and stolen/AI-generated photos to build trust.
• Encourage victims to add them as a Telegram contact → this triggers a pop-up.
• By default, the pop-up shares your phone number if you press "OK".
• Once they have your number, they may start extortion or sextortion threats.
• Scammers gather in public Telegram groups, spamming 24/7 with fake OnlyFans-style profiles.

📢 How People Get Trapped:

• Social media influencers advertise “Telegram dating bots/groups”.
• These are often controlled by scammers.
• Victims trust influencers, click links, and unknowingly enter scam networks.

🤔 Why Telegram?

• Harder to track than traditional dating apps.
• Telegram’s privacy & blockchain-like infra makes tracing difficult.
• Huge scam communities operate openly on Telegram.

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Never add unknown people to Telegram contacts.
• Disable "share my number" when prompted.
• Don’t trust dating groups on Telegram — they are scam hubs.
• Avoid using Telegram for dating — scammers dominate it now.
• If unnecessary, uninstall Telegram — it’s becoming a darknet hub.

💡 Safe Dating Practices:

• Use trusted dating apps (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge).
• Pick apps with ID checks & photo verification.
• Do video calls before meeting in person.
• Always meet in public and inform a friend/family.
• Don’t move too quickly from dating apps to Telegram/WhatsApp.

💸 Crypto Investment Scams

Scammers promise high returns via fake crypto investments or platforms. Many operate via Telegram, Instagram, and Twitter.

🚩 Red Flags:

• Guaranteed daily/weekly returns.
• Requests to deposit in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or USDT only.
• No transparency about the company or founders.
• Pressure to "invest quickly before it’s too late".

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Research platforms before investing.
• Use licensed & regulated crypto exchanges.
• Never trust unsolicited investment offers.

📉 Fake Trading Advisors

Scammers pose as “expert traders” on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram, offering fake forex/crypto signals to steal your money.

🚩 Red Flags:

• Show off luxury lifestyles and fake profits screenshots.
• Sell expensive “signal subscriptions”.
• Encourage trading through shady broker platforms they control.

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Verify if the advisor is registered or licensed.
• Check reviews of brokers before depositing funds.
• Learn basic trading instead of relying blindly on strangers.

🎙️ AI Voice Cloning & Phone Number Spoofing

Scammers now use AI voice cloning combined with phone number spoofing to trick victims. With just a few seconds of your voice (like saying “hello” on a call), AI can replicate your voice and use it to scam your friends, family, or colleagues.

🚩 How They Operate:

• Call you and record just a few seconds of your speech.
• Feed it into AI tools that clone your voice with scary accuracy.
• Use phone number spoofing to call your relatives, pretending to be you.
• Ask for urgent money transfers (“I’m in trouble, send money!”).
• Can also impersonate bosses/colleagues to commit fraud.

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Use code words with family (for emergencies, confirm identity).
• Be suspicious of “urgent” calls asking for money.
• Verify requests via a second channel (text, video call, in-person).
• Don’t overshare your voice data online (podcasts, voice notes, reels).

📧 Email & SMS Spoofing Scams

Criminals forge the sender ID in emails or SMS messages so it looks like it came from a trusted source — like your bank, delivery service, or even a government agency.

🚩 How They Operate:

• Send fake “bank alerts” or “package delivery” messages.
• Use spoofed sender IDs to bypass suspicion.
• Contain phishing links or malware attachments.
• Sometimes demand urgent actions (e.g., “reset your password”, “verify your account”).

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Don’t click suspicious links in SMS or email.
• Check sender’s real email address, not just display name.
• Type official URLs directly in your browser.
• Enable spam filters & report phishing attempts.

👥 Fake Social Media Profile Scams

Scammers steal photos of your friends/family from public accounts and create fake profiles to trick you into trusting them.

🚩 How They Operate:

• Clone your friend’s profile picture & posts.
• Send friend requests/messages to you or others.
• Pretend to need urgent financial help.
• Spread scam links through familiar-looking accounts.

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Keep your social media profiles private.
• Verify with a quick call if a “friend” asks for money.
• Report fake profiles immediately.
• Educate friends & family about privacy settings.

📊 Market Manipulation Tactics

Stock markets aren’t always driven by real company performance. Big players often manipulate markets to trap small investors, creating artificial demand or fear. This is legal grey-zone scamming on a massive scale.

🚩 Common Tricks:

• Pump & Dump: Buy heavily, create hype, push the price up → then sell off suddenly, leaving small investors in losses.
• Fake News & Media Control: Spread rumors via news channels & social media to influence stock prices.
• Insider Trading: Use secret info before the public knows — unfair advantage for profits.
• Fake Influencers: Paid “financial gurus” lure young people into investing in manipulated stocks.
• Partner Companies: Two companies collude — one hypes the stock, the other bets on its crash.

📢 How Retail Investors Get Trapped:

• They follow “hot stock tips” trending on social media.
• Get FOMO from manipulated price surges.
• Influencers & Telegram groups push them into buying high.
• When big players exit, retail investors face heavy losses.

✅ Protect Yourself:

• Don’t trust stock tips from Telegram/WhatsApp/YouTube “gurus”.
• Research company fundamentals — not hype.
• Stay cautious of sudden market surges without real news.
• Never invest based on rumors — check verified sources.
• Understand: the market is a game of big sharks — avoid becoming prey.