Pakistanis have lost billions of rupees to online earning scams, and the losses are getting larger rather than smaller. Treasure NFT collapsed in March 2025 after blocking withdrawals, having taken an estimated $143.8 million during an Eid promotion. B4U Global was ruled a pyramid scheme by the Supreme Court in March 2022, with NAB uncovering 57 bank accounts used to collect money from investors. PSlash took over PKR 5.6 billion in 2020. In June 2025 the NCCIA arrested suspects over a PKR 20 billion fraud in Multan built on fake trading schemes.
These weren’t obscure operations. They were promoted by people’s own friends and relatives — what behavioural finance researchers call affinity fraud, where trust in the person recommending replaces any check on the thing being recommended.
Here are the ten patterns currently operating in Pakistan, how to verify something before you hand over money, and what to actually do if you’ve already lost some.
The Ten Patterns
1. Fixed-return investment apps. Deposit PKR 5,000, receive PKR 200 daily, forever. The dashboard shows your balance climbing. Withdrawals work at first — small ones, deliberately — until they don’t. Treasure NFT, IDA App and HFC all followed this shape. No legitimate investment guarantees a daily return.
2. Multi-level referral schemes. You earn a little from tasks and a lot from recruiting. B4U Global and PSlash were both structured this way. The tell is simple: if the fastest route to income is bringing in your cousin, the revenue is your cousin’s deposit.
3. Fake trading apps impersonating real brokers. The SECP has warned repeatedly about this, identifying an app called TSLWEA/TSL WEALTH impersonating Topline Securities, promoted through a WhatsApp group posing as an official channel. The regulator has also flagged AI-generated advertisements using altered images of celebrities, fintech influencers and brokerage executives to push people into these groups.
4. Unlicensed trading platforms. Quotex (qxbroker.com) was named by the SECP as unauthorised to operate in Pakistan and flagged by multiple international regulators. Only SECP-licensed brokers may legally offer trading services here.
5. Activation-fee earning apps. Free to download, free to browse, and then PKR 300–2,000 to “unlock withdrawals.” The balance was never real. These frequently borrow the Easypaisa or JazzCash name without any affiliation.
6. WhatsApp and Telegram task groups. You’re paid PKR 50 to like a video, then PKR 200, then invited to a “premium task” requiring a deposit. The early payments are the bait, and they cost the operator almost nothing.
7. Advance-fee job and freelancing offers. A registration fee, a training fee, a “security deposit” for equipment. The SECP has named companies including BH Online Jobs (SMC-Private) Limited among entities engaged in unauthorised and dubious activity. No legitimate employer charges you to work.
8. Betting and prediction apps sold as earning games. Colour prediction, Aviator, Teen Patti. The NCCIA declared 46 apps and websites illegal in Pakistan — including 1xBet, Aviator, Dafabet and Bet365 — and the PTA blocked them. These are gambling, not earning, and the house wins by design.
9. Loan app scams. Sponsored ads offering quick interest-free loans, often using the names of reputable organisations. The fraudsters collect a processing or registration fee, then disappear without disbursing anything.
10. Payment and OTP fraud. A “buyer” sends a forged wallet receipt screenshot and asks you to release goods. Or someone claiming to be from your bank asks for an OTP to “verify” your account. No bank or wallet will ever ask for your PIN or OTP.
How to Verify Before You Pay Anyone
| Check | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Is the broker licensed? | secp.gov.pk, PSX and PMEX websites | Only licensed brokers may legally offer trading in Pakistan |
| Is the company registered? | SECP company search | Whether the entity legally exists |
| Has it been flagged? | SECP press releases | Named warnings are published regularly |
| Is the app blocked? | NCCIA and PTA notices | 46 platforms have already been declared illegal |
| How old is the app? | Play Store listing date | Most scam apps are under a year old |
| Are the reviews real? | Play Store, sorted by recent | Look for withdrawal complaints, not five-star praise |
One question settles most cases: where does the money come from? A legitimate business can answer plainly — clients pay for a service, customers buy a product. If the answer is vague, involves “trading algorithms,” or ultimately depends on new members joining, you have your answer.
If You’ve Already Lost Money
Something important changed here that most articles haven’t caught up with: the FIA Cyber Crime Wing was merged into the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in 2025, along with all its cases. That is now the body handling this.
- Act immediately. Contact your bank or wallet provider first and request a freeze or reversal. Speed matters more than anything else — once funds are withdrawn onward, recovery becomes very difficult.
- Gather evidence before it disappears. Screenshots of the app and your balance, transaction IDs, the recipient’s account number and name, all chat history, the phone numbers and profile links involved. Scam apps delete accounts quickly.
- File a complaint with the NCCIA. Use the official online complaint form, or email the National Response Centre for Cyber Crime. You’ll need your name, address and CNIC alongside the evidence.
- Call 1991 for guidance — the national cybercrime helpline, available on weekdays. Note that complaints cannot be registered by phone; the call is for direction only. There is no official WhatsApp complaint number, and anyone claiming otherwise is running a second scam on victims of the first.
- Save your complaint ID and follow up. Investigations take time.
An honest word on recovery: it happens, but it is not the usual outcome. Money moved through mule accounts and converted to crypto is rarely retrieved. Report anyway — it is how patterns get identified and accounts get frozen before the next person is caught.
Why Intelligent People Fall for These
It is worth saying plainly, because shame stops most victims from reporting: falling for one of these is not a sign of stupidity.
These schemes are engineered around trust rather than logic. The recommendation comes from a relative. The early withdrawals genuinely work. The dashboard looks professional. The advertisement features a face you recognise. By the time the larger deposit is requested, the thing has already proven itself four times over.
The defence isn’t intelligence — it’s a rule applied mechanically, regardless of who is asking: money moves toward you, never away from you.
What Legitimate Earning Actually Looks Like
Real online income is slower and less exciting than what these apps promise, which is precisely why they work. A skill takes 60 to 90 days to build. A first client takes four to ten weeks. Nobody pays you 4% a day.
If you’re starting from zero, our guide to earning online in Pakistan without investment covers routes that cost nothing, and our list of earning apps that actually pay names the platforms with genuine payout records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I report an online earning scam in Pakistan?
File a complaint with the NCCIA, which absorbed the FIA Cyber Crime Wing in 2025, using its online complaint form or by email. Call 1991 for guidance first if you’re unsure, though complaints cannot be registered over the phone. Contact your bank immediately to attempt a freeze.
Can I get my money back after being scammed?
Sometimes, if you act within hours and the funds are still in the recipient’s account. Once money has been moved onward or converted to cryptocurrency, recovery is unlikely. Report regardless — it helps freeze accounts and build cases.
How can I tell if an earning app is fake?
Check whether it asks for a deposit, whether earnings depend on referrals, whether returns are guaranteed, how recently it launched, and whether recent reviews mention blocked withdrawals. Any single one of these is enough reason to walk away.
Are online trading apps legal in Pakistan?
Only through SECP-licensed brokers. Lists are published on the SECP, PSX and PMEX websites. The SECP has named several unlicensed platforms, and the NCCIA has declared 46 betting, forex and trading apps illegal, with the PTA blocking them.
Is Easypaisa or JazzCash involved in these earning apps?
No. Both are licensed and regulated, and neither operates or endorses any daily-return earning app. Scams borrow the names for credibility. Our guide to Easypaisa explains what it genuinely does and doesn’t do.
What should I do if a friend recommends an investment app?
Verify it independently before putting in a rupee. Affinity fraud works precisely because the recommendation comes from someone trustworthy — but your relative was recruited too, and often loses money alongside you.
The Short Version
Every scheme above shares one feature: at some point, money has to leave your hands before it can come back. Legitimate work never requires that.
If you’re weighing something up right now, check the SECP list, look at the app’s launch date, read the recent one-star reviews, and ask where the money actually comes from. Ten minutes of checking has saved a great many people their savings. For the slower, duller, genuinely reliable version, start with our complete guide to earning money online in Pakistan.
1 Comment
Pingback: Freelancing in Pakistan for Beginners — Start Earning