Mumbai Influencer Scammed by Fake Internship: How to Spot Red Flags

Bhomi, a social media influencer who believes she only attracts “red flags” in life," recently opened up about how she nearly got scammed by a fake internship she found through Internshala. When she first applied for the position, she had no idea it was part of a bigger scam.

Fake Internship Scam:

In a video, Bhomi, who is an intern explained how she got tricked by a company she thought she was interning for. Unfortunately, Bhomi chose to go with a corporate solutions company that was supposedly hosting a global competition. They said they needed an “influencer manager,” which sounded perfect to her.

But soon, the first warning sign appeared. The so-called influencers she was supposed to work with were just regular Instagram users with only 150-200 followers. That didn't seem right for her.

Influencer Shares Insights:

Bhomi was promised a stipend of Rs. 15,000, but the work didn't match what she expected. After 10 days, she started getting suspicious when her manager, who was also an intern, hinted that the company might be a scam.

She found out that the people behind the scheme were asking for registration fees for an event they never planned to organize. When Bhomi checked the company's details online, she discovered it didn't exist, and neither did its Goods and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN). Soon after, the company's owner blocked her and other people she knew at the internship.

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Bhomi's advice to anyone looking for jobs online is simple: "Don't ignore red flags."

She also made it clear that Internshala is in no way responsible, they tried to help me a lot when the owner was unresponsive. She admitted that she trusted the company because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but they still failed to pay the promised stipend. She added that the manager she mentioned in her video was also kept in the dark and was just as confused as she was. Internshala has since blacklisted the company, ensuring it won't be able to post any more fake opportunities on the platform.