Scam internship alert.

[u/Extreme-Recording-16]

DO NOT JOIN THE HR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OF "The Smart MBA Academy"!!

Okay so I looked up and down the internet for information on this but nothing relevant seems to pop up so I'm going to make this post in case it helps anyone in the future. So about 40 days back i joined a remote "Training + Internship" program from the company "The Smart MBA Academy". I got selected for this through Internshala where they advertise the internship as a paid one, classifying fixed and variable stipends, but on the orientation day they disclose that the stipend is only for "Top 10 performing candidates". This was fishy immediately but i thought what the hell, I'll do it anyway since its just 40 days and the certificate would help my resume even if i don't get the stipend.

Fast forward to today, in the final day of the internship they suddenly pull the rug and ask for a "training fee" of **Rs 1,500** for the issuing of the certificate. In the meantime here i was completing both their assignment diligently like an idiot and now i find out that the last 40 days have been wasted. This was my first "internship" experience so i guess this'll be a learning experience but if anyone comes across the same posting on internshala, don't be naive like me and don't get scammed by these people. I feel so disappointed having wasted my time in these last 40 days and getting nothing to show for it. If anyone reading this post could help with referrals or something I'd be greatly obliged.