“The Evolution of Investment Scams: Selected Comparative Case Studies on Traditional Frauds and Digital-Era Vulnerabilities”
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract: This paper explores how investment scams in India have evolved from traditional schemes to modern online frauds utilizing digital platforms and social media. It compares the operational methods of past and current investment scams and explains the reasons behind this shift, including digital expansion and easier access to online investment opportunities. Based on secondary data from academic journals, reputable news sources, and government reports, the study uses a case-based comparative approach. It emphasizes the need for stronger regulation, better financial literacy, and increased investor awareness to safeguard individuals from financial fraud in the digital age. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that although scam methods have changed, ongoing gaps in regulation and investor awareness still facilitate investment scams.
Downloads
References
Fisher, K. (2015). The psychology of fraud: What motivates fraudsters to commit crime? SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2596825
Engels, C., Kumar, K., & Philip, D. (2021). Financial literacy and fraud detection. In Financial literacy and responsible Finance in the FinTech Era (pp. 124-146). Routledge. International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 240 (Revised)
Madhavan, B., Kalabaskar, N. (2024). Digital Forensic Investigation on Ponzi Schemes. In: Patel, S.J., Chaudhary, N.K., Gohil, B.N., Iyengar, S.S. (eds) Information Security, Privacy and Digital Forensics. ICISPD 2022. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 1075. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5091-1_14
India Code: Chit Funds Act, 1982 https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/21348/1/the_chit_funds_act%2C_1982.pdf
Prema, E., Sundar, V.S. (2023). The Regulatory Landscapes of Ponzi Schemes in India: With Special Reference to the State of Tamil Nadu. In: Gupta, C.M. (eds) Financial Crimes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29090-9_13
Carey, C., & Webb, J. K. (2017). Ponzi schemes and the roles of trust creation and maintenance. Journal of Financial Crime, 24(4), 589–600. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-06-2016-0042
Subhash, K. S., Sandhya, M., Uddhav, T. A., & Kiran, T (2024). " The Rise of Social Media-Driven Stock Market Investment Scams: Analysing Financial Fraud in The Age of Social Media.
Jain, J., & Ohalehi, P. (2018). Why people fall prey to Ponzi schemes: an analysis of attitudes, behaviours, demographics and motivations of victims in India. Behaviours, Demographics and Motivations of Victims in India (September 20, 2018).
Kolupuri, S. V. J., Paul, A., Bhowmick, R. S., & Ganguli, I. (2025, January). Scams and frauds in the digital age: ML-based detection and prevention strategies. In Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Distributed Computing and Networking (pp. 340-345).
Dewi, I. O., & Wahyudi, I. (2025). The Evolution of Ponzi Schemes: From Traditional Frauds to Digital Money Games. Journal of Auditing, Finance, and Forensic Accounting, 13(1), 41-66.
Akshaya, R., & Devadharshini, V. V. (2025). A study on forensic accounting and legal investigation in fraud cases in India. International Journal for Legal Research & Analysis.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saradha_Group_financial_scandal
Lawful Legal: https://lawfullegal.in/saradha-chit-fund-scam-analysis/
India Today: SFIO report exposes Saradha Group Ponzi schemes. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/saradha-group-ponzi-schemes-sfio-investigation-292583-2014-09-15
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Valley_financial_scandal
India Today: Rose Valley chit fund scam: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/east/story/rose-valley-group-gautam-kundu-arrested-ed-ponzi-scam-245982-2015-03-26
The Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/restitution-of-funds-over-7000-duped-rose-valley-investors-get-10200-each-9604368/
ISFM: https://isfm.co.in/the-pacl-scam/
The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/over-19-lakh-pacl-investors-get-their-money-back-sebi/articleshow/100077581.cms?from=mdr
IICA: https://iica.nic.in/images/GainBitcoin_Cryptocurrency-Scam.pdf
The Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/crypto/indian-investors-duped-of-rs-1000-crore-to-fake-crypto-exchanges-7982389/
The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/4-held-in-kolkata-for-duping-visva-bharati-student-in-crypto-scam-leading-to-suicide/articleshow/113582147.cms
The Economic Times. https://m.economictimes.com/markets/stocks/news/hyderabad-man-duped-of-rs-70-lakh-in-fake-zerodha-trading-scam/amp_articleshow/121619415.cms
SEBI Report 2024-25
RBI Report on Financial Inclusion 2019-24 https://www.rbi.org.in/commonman/Upload/English/Content/PDFs/English_16042021.pdf

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in our journal are licensed under CC-BY 4.0, which permits authors to retain copyright of their work. This license allows for unrestricted use, sharing, and reproduction of the articles, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and the source.