Kathmandu: As social media becomes part of daily life in Nepal, a darker trend is exploding: online financial fraud. Every single day, dozens of people walk into the Cyber Bureau in Kathmandu carrying the same story — they’ve been tricked out of thousands, sometimes millions, of rupees through fake investment apps and clever social-media scams. Many more victims never even file a complaint.
The newest and fastest-growing trap? An app called “SMC” that promises “easy money” just for watching videos and inviting friends.
Victim 1: Suresh Rai, 30s, working in Malaysia
Suresh, originally from Khotang, got a random Facebook friend request from someone named “Jiban Rai” — same surname, so he thought it was a relative. They started chatting. Within days the stranger convinced him that SMC was a legitimate way to earn extra cash from abroad.
Suresh downloaded the app, joined a WhatsApp group, opened an account, and transferred Rs 33,800 from his Siddhartha Bank account in Nepal as an initial “recharge”. The app showed his wallet balance growing every time he watched short video ads. Encouraged, he kept adding money. Whenever he tried to withdraw, the app charged a 10 percent “commission”, which he paid again and again.
By the time he realized the withdrawals had stopped coming, he had lost Rs 306,553 (around US$ 2,300). He flew back to Kathmandu and reported it to the Cyber Bureau, only to learn hundreds of others had fallen for the exact same app.
Victim 2: Januka Magar, 28, Kathmandu
A friend told Januka she could earn Rs 5,000 a week with almost no effort. She invested Rs 50,000. For the first three weeks everything worked perfectly, money arrived in her bank account. Confident, she invited more friends and watched more ads.
Then, suddenly, the payouts stopped. The WhatsApp group admins went silent. Her entire investment vanished. “I trusted someone I knew,” she says, fighting back tears outside the Bureau. “That’s what hurts the most.”
Victim 3: Ram Lama, 30, Kathmandu
Staying at home unemployed, Ram heard the same pitch: “Just watch videos, earn daily.” He started with Rs 80,000 sent in three installments to an agent’s personal account. He actually received five small payouts of Rs 5,000 each, which made him trust the system completely.
Then the money stopped. When he saw others in the WhatsApp group complaining about the same thing, he finally understood he had been scammed.
A senior officer at the Cyber Bureau says they now see roughly 50 new SMC victims every single day. Amounts range from Rs 50,000 to as high as Rs 2.5 million (US$ 18,750). Housewives, office workers, business owners — no one is immune.
Over the past three Nepali fiscal years, complaints registered at the Bureau show more than Rs 158.9 million (US$ 1.19 million) stolen through various social-media and app-based scams, and the numbers are rising sharply every year.
Police say most of these operations are run from overseas (especially Dubai), using Nepali “money mules” who lend their bank accounts for a small commission.
Cyber Bureau spokesperson Deepak Raj Awasthi lists the most common tricks:
Lottery/gift parcel scams (“You won an iPhone, just pay customs!”),
Hacked Facebook/Instagram accounts of friends asking for urgent money,
“Watch ads/Task” apps like SMC that pay small amounts at first, then disappear,
Fake job offers that ask you to pay upfront fees.
Simple rules to protect yourself
Never click links from strangers or unsolicited “You won!” messages.
Never transfer money to personal bank accounts for “investment” or “customs clearance”.
If a friend suddenly asks for money via chat, call them on the phone to verify. Their account may be hacked.
Use strong, unique passwords and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) everywhere.
Avoid public Wi-Fi for banking or sensitive apps.
Keep your phone and computer updated with a good antivirus.
Talk to your kids and elderly family members about these scams, they are prime targets.
As Sociologist Dinesh Prasai puts it: “When genuine jobs are scarce, ‘easy money’ promises become dangerously attractive.” Until Nepal creates more real employment and cracks down harder on these networks, the scammers will keep finding new victims, one Facebook message at a time.
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