"3·15" Exposes "Stock Recommendation Profit 50-50 Split" Scam: How Should Investors Avoid It

Reporter Niu Yu

On March 15, during the 2026 “3.15” Gala, CCTV exposed a stock investment scheme called “Stock Recommendations and Pump-and-Dump, 50-50 Profit Split,” which may be a carefully designed, foolproof scam.

According to CCTV reports, multiple organizations online are engaged in “stock recommendation profit-sharing” businesses. One such organization, claiming to be “Tian Shun Investment,” recommended that the reporter buy 2,000 shares of a certain stock at 18.82 yuan per share. Within half a month, the stock price continued to decline, and the reporter sold at an 8% loss. When the reporter had a video call with the company’s customer service, the background wall displayed the words “Xin Ben Ke Information Consulting Co., Ltd.”

The reporter applied for a telemarketing position at Zunyi Xin Ben Ke Information Consulting Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Xin Ben Ke”). The job involved making daily calls using prepared scripts to find interested and funded investors, then using the pretext of “joint research with multiple institutions” and “risk-first, guaranteed profit” to induce them to buy designated stocks. Xin Ben Ke enticed clients to buy by leveraging their own funds for trading, then shared profits from the transactions.

In the report, the so-called “institutional research stocks” are actually selected by Xin Ben Ke’s owner himself. He claims to “know a bit about stocks,” and among these designated stocks, some will rise and generate profits. When profits are made, the company demands a share; when losses occur, the company dismisses it as “market fluctuations” or even responds with “cold dish,” then blocks the clients and disappears, forming a foolproof profit-taking model.

Tianyancha shows that Xin Ben Ke was established in September 2025, with Lin Haikai as the legal representative, registered capital of 500,000 yuan, and its business scope includes information consulting, social and economic consulting, bill information consulting, and enterprise management consulting. The company is wholly owned by Lin Haikai and has no financial industry qualifications.

According to Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the “Interim Measures for Securities and Futures Investment Consulting,” engaging in securities and futures investment consulting must obtain a business license from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). Without CSRC approval, no organization or individual may engage in any of the securities or futures investment consulting activities listed in Article 2 of these measures.

Behind illegal stock recommendation activities, at best, are false information causing investment losses. More alarmingly, many “illegal stock recommendation” behaviors are deeply intertwined with telecom fraud activities, constantly evolving in methods, with increased concealment and deception. In May 2025, the Sichuan Securities Regulatory Bureau warned that the tactics of illegal stock recommendations can be summarized as: social media stock recommendations, phone and SMS recommendations, online live broadcasts, stock trading software recommendations, and stock trading training.

The Economic Observer previously reported that a type of investment scam disguised as “stock recommendations” often uses long-term inducements, leading investors to continuously add funds on software provided by the gang, ultimately executing a “harvest.” The scam gangs pose as “private stock gods,” “hot money,” or impersonate brokerage staff, contacting investors through social platforms and e-commerce channels. They use high-return stock tips as bait, gain trust, then induce with phrases like “insider stocks” and “institutional cooperation” in niche software, ultimately stealing the principal and completing the “harvest.”

In response to the frequent “illegal stock recommendation” scams, lawyer Yang Luyu from Beijing Huarang Law Firm pointed out that individual investors should remain highly vigilant against all kinds of “stock recommendation” activities, stay away from “illegal stock recommendations,” and choose legitimate securities and futures institutions for investment consulting. Investors should verify the qualifications of relevant organizations on official websites and beware of imitation organizations that may harm their interests. Personal investors should overcome the desire for quick profits or sudden wealth, consciously resist improper benefits, and avoid falling into illegal “client account management” traps.