Online friendships that lead to investing
A friendly stranger builds trust over weeks, then introduces a 'great' investment.
How it works
- You meet someone on social media, a dating app or a messaging app. They are warm, attentive and always busy abroad.
- After weeks of messages, they mention a profitable trading or crypto platform and offer to guide you.
- Your deposits show on a fake dashboard as growing. When you try to withdraw, new fees or taxes appear, and then they vanish.
Warning signs
- A new online friend who talks about investing or money.
- They never meet in person or on a live video.
- A platform you were pointed to, with no regulator registration.
- Pressure to deposit more or to borrow.
What to do
- Never invest on the advice of a person you have only met online.
- Check the platform with the regulator. Search for the platform's name with the word 'scam'.
- Talk to a friend. Scammers rely on you keeping it private.
A made-up example of what you might hear
'My uncle taught me this platform. I made enough to buy my mother a house. I can show you, it is very safe. Let us start with a small deposit.'
If you already paid or shared a code
- Call your bank or card issuer straight away and ask them to block the card, account or payment. Use the number on the card or the official website.
- Change passwords for any account that may be affected, starting with email and banking. Turn on two-step verification.
- Report it to the authorities (see the list below). Keep screenshots, phone numbers, account details, transaction IDs and times.
Author and editorial reviewer: Prashant Nandkishor Maheshwari, 2026-10-18. Education only. Rules and reporting channels differ by country.
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