In 2025, a new scam model is spreading fast across India, not through shady coins or anonymous influencers but via Telegram groups offering paid "task jobs."
It starts with a simple message: "Earn ₹5,000 a day doing basic online tasks. No investment. Paid instantly."
That's the bait. And it works.
Victims are lured into rating restaurants, liking videos, or writing short reviews and are actually paid Rs 100 or Rs 200 at first. But what begins as a harmless side hustle quickly evolves into a dark rabbit hole of fake crypto dashboards, prepaid tasks, and mounting losses.
It's no longer just about FOMO-driven token buys. This is full-fledged financial grooming, played out over weeks, disguised as employment, and backed by phony professionalism.
First hook: Easy money for easy tasks
The pitch is irresistible, especially for students, jobseekers, homemakers or anyone looking for side income.
You receive a message on WhatsApp or Telegram: "Want to work from home and earn daily? Tasks take 1 hour. Payments via UPI. Start now."
If you respond, you're given a few demo tasks like liking YouTube videos or rating a business on Google, and soon after, a small payment lands in your account. Maybe Rs 150 or Rs 200.
That first payout is the trapdoor.
Once you've "earned" a bit, you're told that bigger tasks are available but you need to switch to Telegram and contact a "receptionist" or "HR." A friendly profile (often a woman's name with a display pic) takes over the conversation.
You're added to a task group. It looks active. People are chatting. Screenshots of UPI payouts are flooding the feed. Everyone's making money, or so it seems.
From tasks to "prepaid" tasks
Here's where it shifts. You're told about premium tasks: "Pay Rs 1,000, earn Rs 1,300." At first, it sounds strange: why pay to work?
But they promise it's refundable. That it's just to unlock a higher tier. You try it and they pay you back. Rs 1,500 this time.
You're now deep in the net.
The group is buzzing with fake testimonials:
"Just earned Rs 8,000 in one task!"
"Level 3 completed, got Rs 40K payout!"
You don't realize that 90% of these members are bots or scammers in disguise. You're one of the few real people being played.
Enter Crypto: Phantom platforms and dashboard illusions
Eventually, the "task" transitions into "investments." You're handed a login to a slick crypto platform. It looks legit: charts, wallet balances, chat support, the works. You deposit Rs 5,000. The dashboard shows Rs 7,500.
You're told it's compounding. "This is staking," they say.
"USDT rewards. Zero risk." But the truth? That platform isn't real. The numbers you see are just graphics.
Your money? Long gone.
Try to withdraw, and suddenly there's a "network fee" to pay. Or a "tax hold."
They ask for another Rs 10,000. Or Rs 25,000 to "unlock your wallet." Each time you pay, they ask for more.
Until you either run out of money... or realize the truth.
The scam ends where crypto was supposed to begin
It's the final irony; the scam ends where crypto was supposed to begin.
Cryptocurrency was born to eliminate middlemen, remove hidden fees, and put financial control back in the hands of users. But in this scam, it's being weaponized through fake dashboards, controlled platforms, and phony USDT balances that exist only on a scammer's server.
In crypto, if you don't hold the keys, you don't hold the coins. And in this scam, you never held anything at all.
Why even the smartest fall for it
These scams don't just prey on ignorance; they exploit psychology.
It's a masterpiece of manipulation.
The moment they pay you that first Rs 150, your subconscious lowers its guard. "It can't be a scam, they paid me." That's the first win.
Then comes the social urgency. The Telegram group is buzzing. Payout screenshots. Peer pressure. FOMO.
You start to feel like you're the only one not making money, and that fear drives your next move.
Soon, the fake dashboard shows inflated profits. Rs 1,000 becomes Rs 3,000. Then Rs 7,500. You stop asking questions. You stop telling anyone. You just keep investing, in silence.
It's not stupidity. It's psychology.
What can you do?
If you've been targeted, or even lost money, take action:
- Report the fraud at cybercrime.gov.in or by calling the national cyber helpline (1930).
- Immediately contact your bank to raise a dispute or freeze suspicious transactions.
- Warn others. These scams thrive in silence; break it.
Final word
Remember this mantra: If you don't control the wallet or the platform, it's not really crypto.
Crypto was built to remove middlemen. To give you freedom, not take it from you. And yet, this scam flips that vision on its head.
The rise of Telegram task scams in India is a stark reminder that no one is immune to online fraud. These are not random tricks, they're structured, multi-phase manipulations that start with easy tasks and end in high-stakes deception.
They mix old-school scam logic (pyramid schemes, advance-fee traps) with new-age crypto gloss, fake tokens, staged platforms, bot-run communities.
The technology may be modern. But the goal is ancient.
What was meant to free people financially is now trapping them, and unless we stay vigilant, that promise will keep getting stolen.
Disclaimer: This is an authored article by Zoina Shaikh, a Web3 entrepreneur and the founder of HODLPR. With a deep understanding of blockchain and cryptocurrency, she empowers her audience to make informed decisions while avoiding scams. Views expressed in this article are author's own.
