Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam
INDIA — By BharatSecure Threat Intelligence Team ·
Category: Fraud
Verdict Summary
Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam shows strong scam indicators common in fraud targeting Indian users. Do not share OTPs, passwords, or payments — verify the source independently.
Risk score: 7/10 · Severity: High · Verdict: Suspicious
Scam Intelligence: Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam
Proprietary signals from BharatSecure's scam-tracking database.
| Last reported | Apr 20, 2026 |
How Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam Works
Students across India seeking internships are targeted on Telegram with fake offers from reputed-sounding companies. Scammers ask candidates to pay processing fees or security deposits before confirming placement. The internship promises attractive stipends and certificates to tempt students. Often, no actual internship exists, and after payment, scammers block the victims or delete the Telegram group. This scam wastes students’ money and hampers their career prospects. It primarily hits college students from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
How This Scam Works — Detailed Explanation
Scammers often target students across India who are actively seeking internships, particularly via messaging platforms like Telegram. These fraudsters utilize social media platforms, online forums, and even university notice boards to promote enticing internship offers that claim to be from reputed companies. They create a sense of urgency around their offers, often claiming that spots are limited, which lures students into acting quickly and without fully checking the legitimacy of the opportunity. Once they catch the interest of potential victims, they form groups on Telegram where they can interact privately, making it easier to control the communication flow and standardize their approach towards convincing applicants.
The tactics employed by scammers are as manipulative as they are clever. They play on the hopes and aspirations of students, using well-crafted messages that promise high stipends, attractive certificates, and real-world experience. Many scams use the names of well-known companies to lend credibility to their offers. For example, a scam could purport to offer an internship at a huge firm like Tata or Infosys, with a promise of up to ₹30,000 per month. Involvement in these Telegram chats often involves complex psychology; the scammers may create excitement by showcasing testimonials from fictitious former interns or using fabricated branding materials. This leads victims to let their guard down and act impulsively.
Once victims engage and express interest, they are instructed to pay processing fees or security deposits, often via UPI or other digital payment methods. After the payment is made, the scam typically proceeds through a predictable pattern: the scammers either go silent, remove the interested party from the Telegram group, or block them entirely. Victims then realize that no actual internships are available, and their attempts to contact the fraudulent company yield no results. Real-world examples have documented victims losing amounts ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000, which could have otherwise been used to support their education or other career-focused endeavors.
The impact of this scam in India is significant, with reports indicating that students have collectively lost over ₹100 crore to such schemes in recent years. Official bodies like the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and advisories from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have acknowledged the rise of such scams, urging students to remain vigilant when seeking educational opportunities. The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has also provided recommendations to avoid falling for these crafty scams. However, the financial repercussions extend far beyond mere monetary losses—thousands of affected students are left disillusioned, their motivation dampened at a crucial stage in their career journey.
To differentiate between legitimate internship offers and scams, it's essential to look for specific red flags. Genuine opportunities rarely require upfront fees, and communication is usually through official email channels rather than unverified platforms like Telegram. Real companies often have verifiable websites with listed contact details, whereas scam operations lack this transparency. Furthermore, if the administrators of a group disappear after gaining funds or stop responding to queries, it’s a clear sign of a fraudulent operation. Protecting oneself hinges on diligent research and skepticism, especially when confronting lucrative offers that seem too good to be true.
Visual Intelligence:
BharatSecure's AI has identified this as a used in scams targeting Indian users.
Who Does Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam Target?
General public across India
Red Flags — How to Identify Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam
- Internship offers requiring upfront fee payments
- Claims of high stipend or exclusive certificates
- Communication restricted to Telegram groups
- No official emails or company website verification
- Group admins disappearing post payment
What To Do If You Encounter Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam
- Report the incident immediately through the cybercrime helpline by dialing 1930 or visit cybercrime.gov.in.
- Contact your bank immediately to block the transaction if you suspect fraud, using helplines like SBI at 1800-11-1109 or HDFC at 1800-202-6161.
- Gather all relevant information about the scam, including screenshots of communications, and prepare to share this with authorities.
- Spread awareness among friends and fellow students, advising them on how to identify and avoid these scams.
- Follow up with the Cyber Crime Reporting Cell in your area to ensure they are aware of the scams affecting students.
- Regularly check for the latest scam alerts and advisories from official cybersecurity websites.
How to Report Fake Internship Offers Requiring Fees Scam in India
- Call 1930 — National Cyber Crime Helpline (24x7)
- File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in
- Contact your bank immediately if money was lost
- Call RBI helpline: 14440 for banking fraud
Frequently Asked Questions
- What to do if I shared my bank details with a scam?
- Immediately contact your bank to report the incident and request they monitor your account for any unauthorized transactions.
- How can I identify if an internship offer is legitimate?
- Look for official communication channels, verify the company’s website, and be wary of any requests for advance fees.
- How do I report this type of scam in India?
- You can report scams by dialing 1930 for the cybercrime helpline or visiting cybercrime.gov.in to file a report.
- What steps can I take to recover money after this scam?
- Contact your bank to block the transaction and report it as fraudulent; they may assist in recovery efforts depending on the situation.
How This Scam Works — BharatSecure AI
Spreading fastA plain-language breakdown based on 100 real reported scams of this type.
| How they reach you | Observed primary contact occurs via unsolicited phone calls, WhatsApp/SMS messages, and social media/dating platforms, where fraudsters impersonate bank officials, customer support, government agents, |
| How they gain your trust | Trust is reportedly established through impersonation of authority (banks, RBI, PM-Kisan, army officers) or emotional bonding (love-bombing, family/friend impersonation), often reinforced by AI deepfa |
| How they take your money | UPI is the dominant rail across all records, primarily via disguised 'collect/request money' notifications tricking victims into entering their PIN, d |
| Who they target | Documented targets span the general population but concentrate on the elderly and digitally inexperienced (often via caregiver dependency), urban professionals, students, homemakers, small business ow |
- authority bias (impersonating banks/government/officials)
- urgency and scarcity (account frozen, limited-time offer, emergency)
- trust/reciprocity exploitation (familiar voices, love-bombing, small initial payouts)
- Receiving a UPI 'collect/request money' notification and being asked to enter your PIN to 'receive' funds (PIN is never needed to receive money)
- Unsolicited calls/messages claiming account freeze, KYC expiry, or suspicious transaction, pressuring you to share OTP, UPI PIN, or click a link
- Requests to install remote-access/screen-sharing apps (AnyDesk, TeamViewer) for 'support' or 'refund' assistance
- Mismatched or misleading recipient names/VPAs (e.g., 'Verified Merchant', 'Bank Refund Dept') or slightly altered UPI IDs
- Pressure via emotional urgency, deepfake voice/video of familiar people, forged payment screenshots, or too-good-to-be-true offers (free recharge, prizes, grants, loans, high-return investments)
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