Fake earning apps list: the names, and the signs that never change
Fake earning apps named by officials include Power Bank, HPZ Token, Keepsharer, LOXAM and HIBOX. Most are blocked now, but the same scams come back under new names. So judge any app by what it does: if it asks you to deposit money, buy a level or pay a fee to withdraw, it is fake.
Fake earning apps named by officials
The government blocks fraud apps by the thousand but does not publish their names. The names below come from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), police cases and blocking orders reported by the news. Each one links to its source. We did not add apps that only appear on blogs, YouTube or review sites.
Being named here means an official body accused or blocked the app. Court cases are still running for most of them.
Search the list by app name
10 apps named by officials or the news
- Power Bank AppInvestment
- What it claimed
- An investment app that promised to double your money in weeks. It was on Google Play in early 2021.
- How it took money
- Paid small "returns" at first out of new users' money, then stopped paying and shut down.
- Who named it
- Delhi Police (2021), then the Enforcement Directorate (searches in March 2023, and its November 2025 release).
- What happened
- Police said over 5 lakh people lost about ₹150 crore in two months in 2021. ED searched 14 places and arrested 3 people in March 2023.
- HPZ TokenInvestment
- What it claimed
- Crypto "mining" and token investment with high returns. Also named by ED among part-time job apps.
- How it took money
- Money was collected through UPI IDs of borrowed bank accounts and shell companies. Small amounts were paid back to earn trust.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate (17 March 2026), after police cases in Nagaland and Assam and a CBI case.
- What happened
- ED says about ₹2,200 crore was collected and over ₹662 crore has been attached. The case is on trial in a special court.
- NBC AppTask and part-time job
- What it claimed
- A part-time job app: do simple tasks from home and earn commission.
- How it took money
- You do small tasks on fake shopping sites and earn points in the app. Then you must deposit money by UPI for bigger tasks. Small early payouts build trust; after that, withdrawals fail and a "tax" or "clearance" fee is demanded.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate (Hyderabad), 20 November 2025, with Power Bank App, HPZ Token, RCC App and Making App.
- What happened
- ED says ₹285 crore was collected through these apps and attached ₹8.46 crore in 92 bank accounts. Investigation ongoing.
- RCC AppTask and part-time job
- What it claimed
- A part-time job app: do simple tasks from home and earn commission.
- How it took money
- You do small tasks on fake shopping sites and earn points in the app. Then you must deposit money by UPI for bigger tasks. Small early payouts build trust; after that, withdrawals fail and a "tax" or "clearance" fee is demanded.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate (Hyderabad), 20 November 2025.
- What happened
- ED says ₹285 crore was collected through these apps and attached ₹8.46 crore in 92 bank accounts. Investigation ongoing.
- Making AppTask and part-time job
- What it claimed
- A part-time job app: do simple tasks from home and earn commission.
- How it took money
- You do small tasks on fake shopping sites and earn points in the app. Then you must deposit money by UPI for bigger tasks. Small early payouts build trust; after that, withdrawals fail and a "tax" or "clearance" fee is demanded.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate (Hyderabad), 20 November 2025.
- What happened
- ED says ₹285 crore was collected through these apps and attached ₹8.46 crore in 92 bank accounts. Investigation ongoing.
- KeepsharerTask and part-time job
Also seen as: Keepshare
- What it claimed
- A part-time job: earn ₹20 for every video you "like".
- How it took money
- You paid to register. Earnings sat in an in-app wallet, and the money collected was sent out of India.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate, October 2022.
- What happened
- ED froze ₹5.85 crore. The app was later removed from the Play Store.
- LOXAMInvestment
- What it claimed
- An investment app that falsely claimed a link to a French company, promising high returns.
- How it took money
- You deposited money for "returns" that you could not withdraw.
- Who named it
- Hyderabad cyber crime police (2022), then the Enforcement Directorate (2025).
- What happened
- Police put the fraud at ₹903 crore and arrested 10 people. ED arrested an alleged mastermind in June 2025.
- HIBOXInvestment
- What it claimed
- An investment app promising 1 to 5 percent returns every day, promoted by social media influencers.
- How it took money
- Early "returns" were paid, then withdrawals stopped.
- Who named it
- Delhi Police (IFSO cyber unit), 2024.
- What happened
- Over 500 complaints, about ₹500 crore alleged. The main accused was arrested and a chargesheet has been filed.
- FiewinBetting and games
- What it claimed
- Colour prediction and luck games to make money fast, promoted on YouTube and Facebook.
- How it took money
- Small early withdrawals worked. Bigger amounts were blocked.
- Who named it
- Enforcement Directorate, September 2024.
- What happened
- ED traced about ₹400 crore to crypto wallets abroad and arrested 4 people.
- Mahadev BookBetting and games
Also seen as: Mahadev Online Book, Reddyannaprestopro
- What it claimed
- Online betting presented as a way to earn.
- How it took money
- Bets and deposits through the app and agents on WhatsApp.
- Who named it
- Ministry of Electronics and IT, November 2023, at ED's request, with 21 other betting apps.
- What happened
- Blocked in India. The owners are under ED investigation for money laundering.
An app that is not on this list is not safe because of that. These apps change their names every few weeks. What never changes is that they ask you to pay.
Why no list can ever be complete
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) had blocked 3,718 mobile apps by 30 June 2026, including fraud loan apps, the government told Parliament. In December 2023 it blocked over 100 websites used for task and part-time job frauds. The government gives counts, not names.
Blocking one app rarely ends the scam. The same people relaunch it with a new name, a new logo and new WhatsApp numbers within days. That is why a list helps you recognise the old names, but the checks below are what keep you safe from the next one.
How every fake earning app works
The government's own description of these scams, and the ED's account of the apps above, follow the same path:
- An ad or message offers home-based earning: "Ghar baithe job", part-time work, or a few hundred rupees a day on your phone.
- An "agent" on WhatsApp or Telegram gives you simple tasks: like videos, subscribe to channels, rate places on maps, or "buy" products on a shopping site.
- You get a small payment, ₹100 or ₹200, so it feels real.
- You are told to install an app or join a group, and to deposit money for "prepaid" or "VIP" tasks that pay more.
- Your balance grows on screen, but it is only a number in the app.
- When you try to withdraw, there is a new condition: a tax, a clearance fee, a bigger deposit, or a "mistake" you must pay to fix.
- Then the app stops working, and the agent stops replying.
Play this out step by step in the Telegram task scam guide. If an app has already shown you a balance you cannot withdraw, you are at step 6. Stop paying.
Why these apps go after women
When the government blocked over 100 task and investment fraud websites in December 2023, it said the targets were mostly retired employees, women and unemployed youth. The ads run in many Indian languages on Google, Facebook and Instagram, and search for words like "Ghar baithe job".
The scam is built around what many women are looking for: work from home, in a few free hours, on a phone, with no need to travel. Police reports of homemakers losing lakhs to rating and part-time task apps appear often in the news. There is no official count by gender yet, so we don't quote one.
- It looks like a job, not an investment. You are asked to work first, so paying later feels like part of the job.
- The first payment is real. ₹200 in your account makes the next step feel safe.
- It feels private. Everything happens in chats, so there is no one to ask before you pay.
- Shame keeps people quiet. Many women don't tell family after the first loss, and pay more trying to get it back.
Check an app before you install it
Tick everything that is true about this app
Tick everything that is true. Your result appears here, and changes as you go.
How to read this
- No warning signs so far: Still never deposit money into an earning app, and keep payments to small amounts you can check in your bank account.
- Be careful: Search the app's name with the word "fraud", read the newest Play Store reviews, and don't give it any permissions it doesn't need.
- Don't install it: A request for money, or two or more of these signs, means this is not a way to earn. Delete the link or the app. If you already paid, call 1930.
Loan and trading apps have official lists
- Loan apps: the RBI publishes a directory of digital lending apps run by banks and registered lenders (on rbi.org.in, under Citizen's Corner, "DLAs deployed by Regulated Entities"). Google Play allows personal loan apps in India only if they appear there, and does not let them read your contacts or photos.
- Trading and forex apps: check the broker on SEBI's list of registered intermediaries, and the RBI's Alert List of unauthorised forex platforms.
- Earning apps have no list. No regulator licenses "earning apps", so the only check that works is the one above: does it ask you to pay?
Betting and money games are not a way to earn either. Online money games and their ads are banned in India from 1 May 2026.
If you installed one, or already paid
- Stop paying. Any fee to withdraw is the scam asking for more. The balance on screen will not come out.
- Call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in as soon as you can. The sooner you report, the better the chance the money can be held in the receiving account.
- Tell your bank and give them the UPI transaction IDs.
- Delete the app and remove its permissions (Settings, then Apps). Change your UPI PIN if you shared your screen or any code.
- Keep proof: screenshots of the app, chats, UPI IDs you paid to, and the agent's numbers.
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee. "Recovery agents" are a second scam aimed at people who just lost money.
Step-by-step help: how to get money back from a UPI scam and how to report a job scam.
What real work from home looks like
Real work pays you; you never pay it. Some genuine apps pay small amounts for surveys, often as store credit, and this guide to earning apps without investment shows which. Real jobs come with a named company, a person you can check, and pay you see before you agree.
HerWorkCircle is an active, growing circle of women across India doing home-based work. You take a free skill check on your phone, a person on our team reads your answers, and we send checked work that fits your hours. We never ask you to pay.
Questions
Is Power Bank app real or fake?
Fake. Delhi Police said over 5 lakh people lost about ₹150 crore to Power Bank and a similar app in 2021, and the Enforcement Directorate has since searched and arrested people linked to it.
Which earning apps are banned in India?
The government has blocked thousands of fraud apps but does not publish the names. The apps named by the ED, police or blocking orders are in the searchable list on this page, each with its source.
The app paid me once. Does that mean it is real?
No. A small first payment is how these scams win trust. The ask for a deposit, a VIP level or a withdrawal fee comes after it.
Can I get my money back from a fake earning app?
Sometimes, if you report quickly. Call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in, and give your bank the UPI transaction IDs, so the money can be held where it landed.
Someone says they can recover my money for a fee. Should I pay?
No. Paid "recovery" offers are a second scam. Only the police, your bank and cybercrime.gov.in can help, and they don't charge a fee.
Are there any real earning apps?
Yes, but they pay small amounts, often as store credit, and never ask you to pay first. Any app that asks for a deposit to earn or withdraw is fake.
Sources
- Cyber fraud case: part-time job apps including NBC, Power Bank, HPZ Token, RCC and Making App Enforcement Directorate, Hyderabad (press release, 20 November 2025)
- HPZ Token case: attachment and prosecution Enforcement Directorate, Dimapur (press release, 17 March 2026)
- Power Bank app fraud: ED searches 14 locations, 3 arrested Business Standard (March 2023)
- Part-time jobs fraud: ED raids entities linked to the Keepsharer app Business Today (3 October 2022)
- ED arrests mastermind in ₹903 crore app investment scam (LOXAM) The Tribune (July 2025)
- ₹500 crore scam related to investment app (HIBOX) unearthed, mastermind held The Tribune (2024)
- Fiewin app: ED links ₹400 crore scam to foreign wallets, 4 arrested Free Press Journal (September 2024)
- Mahadev app among 22 betting platforms blocked The Tribune (November 2023)
- Government blocks over 100 websites for task-based job and investment frauds All India Radio News (6 December 2023)
- Govt blocks 100+ websites involved in job scams and illegal investments (targets named) The News Minute (6 December 2023)
- Centre blocks over 3,700 mobile apps; Rs 11,158 crore saved (written reply in Parliament) ANI (11 August 2026)
- RBI's directory of digital lending apps Press Information Bureau
- Personal loans in India: listing requirements Google Play Console Help
- Alert List of unauthorised forex trading platforms Reserve Bank of India
- Online Gaming Act 2025 comes into force SCC Online (23 April 2026)