Zerodha’s Post

Transcript

Picture this. It's an ordinary day and suddenly you get added to a WhatsApp group. You look at the members and you recognize a few familiar faces. It's the founding team of Zerodha Nithin Kamath, our CEO, or Venu Madhav R, CEO himself. But wait, you think, why am I in this group? You have some doubts, you're almost suspicious. But there it is. The profile pictures, the names, all the familiar faces and well, it all seems to check out just as you're digesting this unexpected. Exclusive invite. A video message pops up in the chat. There's a young woman introducing herself confidently, as I am pleased to announce on the behalf of 0 Dash Securities. The video looks clear, but there are the branding in the background, the logo crisp and clear. It all looks official. She starts explaining a special investment plan exclusive to this group that promises substantial returns. The catch? To invest, you need to create an institutional account with Zerodha. And of course, there's paperwork. Share a set of documents, all stamped with the Serola company seal and complete with signatures. The returns? They're right there in black and white, clearly outlined. You feel that familiar doubt again, wondering does Theravada really offer something like this? But the pitch is so smooth, so well crafted, that you find yourself nodding along. If it wasn't real, would they go through all this trouble? The groups, the videos, the official looking documents? You wonder. Layer by layer, the suspicion slips away. It starts feeling legit. Now the real show begins. The use the Zerodha name, the branding, and even familiar faces to slowly erode any doubt you might have had by now. That voice in your head, that question thinks, is silent. You're starting to feel like this really is an opportunity, one that's too good to miss. Next, they introduce the final steps. To begin, they ask for a direct deposit into a specific bank account, explaining its part of the institutional account setup to secure higher returns. To make it even more convincing, they share a fake authorization letter, supposedly from Sebi to make it appear as though this bank account is officially associated with Zerodha. That weren't enough. They've even developed a fake app that looks just like the real Zerodha app. And when you sign up on this app, they ask for a fake KYC process, making it feel just as formal as a real account setup. You transfer the money, open the app, and see your portfolio displayed in crisp detail, just like any real trading app. And every day you see your balance increasing. The returns look great. It feels like this investment plan is delivering exactly as promised. To make it even more convincing, they show IP allotments in your portfolio. Meet with listing gains that make it look like you're part of this exclusive opportunity. By this point, any remaining doubts you had are slipping away. You're watching your investments grow, seeing the gains, feeling reassured by the whole setup. It's official looking, it's branded, and every update makes you feel just a little bit more confident. With your trust firmly secured, they keep encouraging you to add even more funds, showing you the potential for even bigger returns. They keep it seamless, making you feel like part of an insider group with privileged access. Your mind is totally convinced. And your guard is completely down. Then, finally, you decide it's time to withdraw some money. That's where things take a turn. Suddenly they're talking about a service fee, supposedly for service of profits, that these scammers claim to have provided. They tell you that this fee must be paid to Zerodha for your withdrawal to be processed. You're a bit confused with the scammers are quick with explanations, reassuring you it's just part of the process, and that after paying this service fee, you'll have access to your returns. In some cases, they've even let users. Transferred smaller amounts withdraw a portion of their profits. This minor payout bills trust, making users believe in the schemes legitimacy. Feeling reassured, they invest even larger amounts, convinced that the system works. But when those bigger funds are transferred, the scam kicks into full gear. Maybe it's just one last step. That's something you tell yourself and you pay even more money. But when you check again, the withdrawal still hasn't come through. They keep delaying introducing more fees, more reasons as to why there's just one more. That by now you realize the money, the profits, the portfolio, none of it was real. It was a big fat scam. We've received hundreds of complaints about this scam, and those are just the ones who came forward. We suspect thousands more may have been affected, silently enduring the loss without reporting it. This isn't a scam just with us, but across financial services companies, from banks, payment apps, and much more. These scams are elaborate, deceptive, and made to look as genuine as possible. They use fake employees, fake profiles, fake apps, fake documents, fake Sabile letters, and even fake returns to convince you to get your money. S What should you do if you ever see something like this? Stop immediately and don't send any money. Reach out to us at Zerodha as soon as possible by clicking on the link in the description. Report the fraud by calling the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or by filing a complaint directly on the portal cybercrime.gov dot in. If you're watching this video, chances are you're someone. It's financially aware and less likely to fall prey to these camps. But this message isn't just for you. It's for those who may not be as familiar with these camps, the uninitiated who fall prey to these camps. We urge you to share this video with as many people as you can, especially those you know who might be trading or investing. Help us spread the word and protect others from falling victims to these camps. Remember, no matter how convincing it looks, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Stay cautious and stay informed.