IPO Allotment Guarantee and Fake Trading App Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

Scam apps pretend to be a bank, a loan service, a game, a government service or a "support tool", and they ask for access to SMS, contacts, the screen or accessibility. IPO Allotment Guarantee and Fake Trading App Scam is one of the ways this shows up: Groups promise guaranteed IPO allotment or pre-IPO shares at a big discount through a special app. The app shows fake gains and blocks withdrawals.

What ipo allotment guarantee and fake trading app scam looks like through an app

• A loan app that asks for contacts and photos.
• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.
• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.

The scammer uses the buzz around public issues and sends messages through groups and ads. They claim that institutional or employee quotas can be bought by retail investors through them. Some offer pre-IPO shares at a low price before listing. They send a link to an app or website, a registration code and instructions to deposit funds. The app is built to look like a broker.

Red flags to check on the app

• A guaranteed IPO allotment is promised.
• You must deposit into a special app or wallet.
• A listing gain is quoted in advance.
• The app is not from a known broker.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.

What to do

1. Do not deposit money in the app or send details.
2. Apply for IPOs only through your known broker or bank app.
3. Check the issue details on the official exchange website typed by hand.
4. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).
5. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.
6. Change the passwords of your bank and email from a clean device if the app had access.

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 right away and give the payee accounts and amounts.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card so it can try to hold transfers.
3. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the app name, chats and receipts.
4. Do not pay the tax or unlock fee; it is another way to take money.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads the message you paste and highlights a guaranteed allotment, a forecast gain and a fee to withdraw. The link check helps you review the app or site address before opening it, and the phone scan flags apps from outside a store and risky permissions. It cannot confirm whether an IPO is real or assess a broker, so use official exchange and regulator sources.

Full guide: IPO Allotment Guarantee and Fake Trading App Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, social media.

Questions