AI Stock Selection VIP Group Scam: Posting Fake Profit Statements and Charging Membership Fees for Junk Stocks

Who Gets Targeted

The primary victims are retail stock investors over the age of 40, especially middle-aged and elderly individuals who have only a superficial understanding of smartphones and AI technology, and who are eager to recover losses quickly or earn retirement funds. They generally lack professional knowledge in securities investment, making them easily swayed by high monthly return screenshots and profit feedback flooding the chat groups. Their psychological weaknesses include information isolation, strong conformity, high obedience to authoritative rhetoric, and wishful thinking that they can get a piece of the pie simply by following the 'teacher's' instructions, leading them to ignore basic financial risk common sense.

骗局怎么运作

• They release 'free stock pick' ads through short-video platforms, financial article comment sections, or outbound calls, using AI stock selection and quantitative models as gimmicks to attract investors to add customer service on WeChat or join QQ groups. Rhetoric includes: 'Our AI system scans the entire market data daily with a 95% win rate; get today's golden stock code for free.'
• After joining the group, multiple shill accounts take turns posting profit statements, releasing forged profit screenshots and transfer records, claiming that following AI instructions to buy a certain stock resulted in a daily limit-up and monthly returns exceeding 30%. They create a sense of urgency by claiming limited slots are available and that the 'teacher' is only taking the last 50 people, inducing victims to pay membership or service fees ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of yuan.
• After paying, victims receive so-called AI stock selection signals or manual stock recommendations. However, the recommended stocks are often high-volatility junk stocks, small-cap manipulated stocks, or even targets about to crash, leaving investors trapped as soon as they buy. The group will continue secondary exploitation under the guise of upgrading to VIP, paying loss-recovery fees, and participating in pump plans.
• When victims express doubts or request refunds, the syndicate uses tactics such as claiming market fluctuations are normal and the service period has not ended to stall, then kicks them out of the group chat or blocks them directly. Customer service WeChat accounts and collection accounts are changed frequently, making funds difficult to trace.
• Some upgraded scams guide victims to download fake stock trading apps, where the backend manually modifies profit and loss figures to create the illusion of profitability. Once victims increase their investments, withdrawals are prohibited under the pretext of system maintenance or account freezing, completing the final round of exploitation.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 A large number of unfamiliar accounts in the group frequently post high profit screenshots and arrival records, but never show verifiable securities account settlement sheets.
• 🚩 Claiming that AI stock selection generates monthly returns exceeding 10% or even 100%, promising guaranteed profits with zero risk or annualized returns far exceeding normal investment levels.
• 🚩 Requiring transfers to personal bank accounts, WeChat, or Alipay rather than through regular licensed securities institutions or fund sales channels.
• 🚩 The identity of the group leader or 'teacher' cannot be verified for practicing qualifications on the official websites of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) or the Securities Association of China, and they refuse to provide a real company name and office address.
• 🚩 Creating a sense of urgency with rhetoric such as 'limited slots,' 'group closing soon,' and 'wait another year if you miss today,' urging immediate transfer.
• 🚩 The recommended stocks have poor fundamentals, small market capitalization, and abnormal turnover rates, experiencing violent fluctuations or continuous declines shortly after purchase.

真实案例

• In August 2026, the Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau issued a risk warning pointing out that bad actors used the pretext of AI stock trading to induce investors to download fake stock trading software and transfer funds to personal accounts, leaving investors unable to withdraw funds.
• In August 2026, Sina Finance reported that over a dozen investors were trapped with millions of funds due to an AI stock trading scam. Victims reported that more than a year after the case was filed, there was still no substantive progress, and the personnel of the involved companies had lost contact.
• CCTV exposed a major cross-border stock recommendation fraud case, with Gansu police cracking down on a syndicate based in Cambodia that used group shills in coordination with fake analysts to recommend stocks and lure investors into putting in funds. Among them, a Mr. Yu from Gansu was defrauded of hundreds of thousands of yuan.
• In March 2026, Tencent News exposed a fake stock guru scheme using AI face-swapping to impersonate financial influencers. The scam syndicate used AI face-swapping technology to forge videos of well-known financial figures, inducing fans to join paid stock recommendation groups.
• In July 2024, Maanshan police cracked a major cross-border telecommunications network fraud case, arresting 48 syndicate members involving 15 fraudulent apps with an amount totaling over 40 million yuan. Among them, a victim was pulled into an 'Enterprise WeChat group' to complete task-based order-brushing and was defrauded of 880,000 yuan. The syndicate had long entrenched itself overseas, posing as customer service and investment advisors to commit fraud. (Source: [https://ah.ifeng.com/c/8b4WGXDuUFF](https://ah.ifeng.com/c/8b4WGXDuUFF))
• In May 2023, CCTV News disclosed that a scam company in Hangzhou used free hot pot as bait to pitch a 'cloud-farming cattle' investment project to the elderly, claiming an annualized return rate as high as 50%. It illegally raised about 42 million yuan from more than 600 elderly people within half a year. In August 2024, the court sentenced the principal offender to seven years and six months in prison for the crime of fund-raising fraud. (Source: [https://m.nbd.com.cn/articles/2025-10-21/4099010.html](https://m.nbd.com.cn/articles/2025-10-21/4099010.html))

Official Stance

• The Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau issued the 'Risk Warning on Carrying out Illegal Financial Activities under the Guise of Fake Stock Trading Software and AI Stock Trading' in 2026, explicitly warning against the risks of AI stock trading software and fake copy trading.
• The China Securities Regulatory Commission has long listed illegal stock recommendations and illegal securities investment consulting as key targets for crackdowns, repeatedly reminding investors to obtain investment advice through licensed institutions.
• CCTV Finance Channel exposed the cross-border stock recommendation fraud industry chain, reminding investors to stay alert to stock recommendations in chat groups and livestreams.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Verify whether the stock recommendation entity possesses qualifications for securities investment consulting business, and log onto the official website of the China Securities Regulatory Commission or the Securities Association of China to check its legal qualifications.
• ✅ Refuse to transfer money to personal accounts or unlicensed institutions; any legitimate securities service fees should be paid through regular channels with invoices requested.
• ✅ Do not blindly trust profit screenshots and return promises posted in groups, and maintain a high level of vigilance regarding so-called AI stock selection with monthly returns exceeding 10%.
• ✅ Consult and verify by calling the 12386 CSRC service hotline or the local securities regulatory bureau hotline before involving paid stock recommendations.
• ✅ Retain evidence such as group chat logs, transfer vouchers, and the other party's account information, and report to public security organs immediately upon discovering a scam while simultaneously reporting to the securities regulatory bureau.