At TrapWatch, we believe that the most powerful protection against fraud, scams, and hidden costs comes from shared experience. Every day, people fall victim to clever traps, from fake helplines and phishing links to property disputes, shady job offers, and travel scams. Most never make it into mainstream news, leaving countless others vulnerable to the same tricks.
The problem is massive and growing:
In 2024, India recorded 36.37 lakh fraud incidents with losses of ₹22,845 crore, a 206% jump over the previous year (Times of India).
In just the first five months of 2025, Indians lost nearly ₹7,000 crore — an average of ₹1,000 crore every month (LiveMint).
Most scams today target individuals through digital arrests, fake loans, job scams, phishing links, and investment frauds, often run by networks based overseas (Indian Express).
These numbers aren’t abstract. Each one represents someone’s loss, fear, and fight for recovery.
TrapWatch was created to change that.
TrapWatch is not a news outlet. We are a community-driven platform where individuals can:
Share real stories of scams, fraud, and hidden costs they’ve encountered.
Learn from others’ experiences before making financial, personal, or professional decisions.
Spot patterns across sectors, categories, and organizations to understand how scams evolve.
Every post is categorized into Sectors, Trap Categories, and Trap Types, making it easy to browse scams in your city, your industry, or those targeting specific organizations.
Most scams are repeatable playbooks. Fraudsters count on silence, embarrassment, and lack of awareness to strike again and again. By making these stories visible, TrapWatch creates:
Awareness: Know the tricks before they reach you.
Transparency: See how scams affect real people, not just headlines.
Prevention: Equip yourself with tips and practical steps to avoid losses.
People-powered: Stories come directly from community members and careful online monitoring.
Practical focus: Each entry highlights not only the story, but also the outcome and prevention tips.
Neutral stance: TrapWatch does not endorse or verify individual claims; our role is to archive and present them for public awareness.
TrapWatch moderates submissions for fairness and privacy but does not fact-check or authenticate each case. These are individual experiences, not legal judgments. We encourage readers to use their own judgment, cross-check facts, and seek independent confirmation before taking action.
TrapWatch grows stronger with every story shared. If you’ve encountered a scam, hidden cost, or fraudulent experience, consider submitting it. Your voice could prevent someone else from falling into the same trap.
Together, we can make scams less profitable and people more aware.
Disclaimer: TrapWatch is a people-powered archive of hidden costs, scams, and everyday pitfalls. Stories may be submitted by community members or curated by our team from social media and other public sources. While we moderate for fairness and privacy, we do not independently verify or endorse individual claims. Please treat these as personal experiences or reports, not established facts. Always use your own judgment, cross-check information, and seek independent confirmation or professional advice before acting on anything you read here.