Scam Prevention Guide

A colleague recently approached me about a “business opportunity” and the whole experience felt very suspicious. He first called me and asked what my reaction would be if I got a big opportunity. I said I would be interested. He told me someone from his team would call me. Later that night, a woman called and simply asked if I would be willing to work if I got a big opportunity. She didn’t explain anything and instead said they would arrange an in-person meeting to discuss the business. My colleague refused to give me any details beforehand even though I asked multiple times. He just kept saying “you’ll know later.” We were asked to meet at a café. After waiting for a while, one person showed up and introduced another person who was supposedly an NIT graduate earning ₹45 LPA earlier but quit his job because this business was making him 2-3x more money. They explained the “business” very vaguely. They said they work directly with manufacturers and sell products to consumers instead of using marketing or distribution channels. They claimed they are connected with 250+ industries (beauty, healthcare, etc.) but never mentioned any brand names or the company name. Then they said I need to invest ₹6 lakhs: • ₹5. 3 lakhs to “claim vendor rights” • ₹70k for an international trip They claimed that after 5 years this could generate ₹11–12 lakhs per week or ₹6 crores per year. Another big red flag: they suggested taking a bank loan and specifically told me not to inform my parents, because parents would say no and stop me. They also said I need to attend a 6-hour second meeting and should come with the ₹6 lakhs ready in my account. After leaving the meeting I questioned my colleague for details — company name, products, proof of payment, vendor details, etc. He couldn’t answer anything clearly and refused to show proof, saying some things are “internal.” When I searched online later, I found multiple posts describing very similar experiences that turned out to be business scams / MLM schemes. This whole situation felt extremely shady. Summary: No company name or product details were revealed Huge upfront investment (₹6 lakhs) required Unrealistic returns promised (₹11–12 lakhs per week) Pressure to take a loan and hide it from family Refusal to show proof or documents