7 types of 'crypto experts' in Pakistan you should avoid like load-shedding in June

Pakistan has some brilliant, honest people in crypto.

It also has a LOT of guys with ring lights, rented cars and a “VIP group” link in bio.

This isn’t about names. It’s about types. Learn the type and you’ll spot them a mile away, whatever they call themselves this week.

And this stuff is real. In December 2025, Pakistan’s cyber crime agency arrested 34 people over a $60 million fake crypto and forex investment network. Back in 2022, the FIA said fake “Binance-linked” apps had taken nearly $100 million from Pakistanis, and the average victim lost about $2,000.

Here’s your field guide.

1. The Lambo Influencer 🚗

Spotted: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. Usually standing next to a car that isn’t his.

The pitch: “I made 50 lakh this month from crypto. Join my course and I’ll teach you.”

The tell: If his trading was that good, why does he need your Rs 15,000 course fee? The course IS the business. Bonus red flag: he never shows a loss.

2. The Binary Options “Sir” 📈📉

Spotted: Facebook groups, WhatsApp, YouTube “live trading” streams.

The pitch: “Just guess if the price goes up or down in 60 seconds. 90% profit!”

The tell: It’s basically betting on a coin toss on an app nobody’s heard of, and the app is usually the house. The SECP keeps warning people about unlicensed online trading platforms promising unrealistic returns. If the app isn’t licensed, you’re not trading. You’re donating.

3. The Telegram VIP Signals Group 📲

Spotted: Telegram, and in your DMs within 5 minutes of commenting “interested”.

The pitch: “Free signals channel. VIP group just $50/month. 95% accuracy!”

The tell: That 2022 FIA case? It ran on Telegram “signals” groups feeding people into fake apps. Nobody with a real 95% hit rate sells it for $50.

4. The “Your Profit Is Ready, Just Pay the Fee” App 💸

Spotted: A link from a “friend”, or a Facebook ad.

The pitch: A slick app shows your Rs 50,000 growing to Rs 3 lakh. 🤑

The tell: When you try to withdraw, there’s a “tax”, a “verification fee” or an “unlock charge”. That’s exactly how the $60 million network worked: fake profits first, then fees, then your account is blocked. If you have to pay to get your own money out, it’s gone.

5. The “Earn by Doing Tasks” App 👍

Spotted: WhatsApp groups, part-time job ads.

The pitch: “Like videos, rate products, earn Rs 3,000 a day from home!”

The tell: Small payouts at first to hook you. Then a “deposit to unlock VIP tasks”. Then bigger deposits for your “level”. Then silence. One of the apps named in the FIA’s 2022 case was a task app.

6. The Refer-a-Friend Pyramid 🔺

Spotted: Your cousin, enthusiastically, at a dawat.

The pitch: “Daily profit PLUS bonus for every person you bring in.”

The tell: If the main way to earn is recruiting, the “profits” are just the newer people’s money. The FIA said the 2022 apps took the money through a referral bonus process. It works until new people stop joining. Then it collapses on whoever joined last, usually your family.

7. The “Recovery Expert” 🦸

Spotted: Your DMs, right after you post “I got scammed”.

The pitch: “I’m a blockchain investigator. I can recover your funds for a small fee.”

The tell: This is scam number two, aimed at people who already lost money. Real recovery goes through the police and the NCCIA, not a guy with an anime profile picture.

The universal red flags

🚩 “Guaranteed” anything. Real markets go down too.
🚩 Profits that are too smooth. Every day up, never down.
🚩 Pressure. “Only 3 slots left”, “offer ends tonight”.
🚩 Paying into a person’s account instead of a licensed company’s.
🚩 Can’t name their regulator. Ask “are you licensed by PVARA or SECP?” and watch them leave the chat.
🚩 Fees to withdraw your own money.

If someone’s teaching you how to get rich, check how they get rich. Usually it’s you.

Got scammed? Do this

Stop paying. No “release fees”, no “taxes”.
Screenshot everything: chats, transactions, wallet addresses and the app’s name.
Report it to the NCCIA, Pakistan’s cyber crime agency, and tell your bank right away.
Ignore anyone who DMs you offering recovery. See type number 7.

Sources: Finance Magnates on the NCCIA’s $60M bust (Dec 2025); Dawn on the FIA’s 2022 Rs17.7bn crypto app case; SECP press release on unlicensed trading platforms (May 2025). No individuals or companies are named in this story. Not financial advice.