The Telgi Scam, also known as the Stamp Paper Scam, was a financial scandal that started in 1992 and came to light in 2003. Abdul Karim Telgi was the mastermind behind the scam, which involved a sophisticated counterfeit stamp paper racket that spanned several states in India and was valued at over Rs 30,000 crore. Telgis team bribed officials of the Indian Security Press in Maharashtra to help create an artificial scarcity of documents and obtain machinery and printing material to create the fake papers. The scam involved the production and distribution of fake stamp papers, which are crucial for legal and financial transactions. Telgi had 300 helpers who sold fake stamps to important places like banks, insurance companies, and stock firms. Even some police officers and government workers were involved. Telgi was arrested in November 2001 after the police received a tip that he was travelling to Ajmer, Rajasthan, on a pilgrimage. He was sentenced to prison for his involvement in the scam.

Jayant Tinaikar, a matriculate, played a crucial role in exposing the scam. He shared his "Telgi scam" journey in his book "The Stamp Paper Scam: One Man, 19 Years, and Telgi’s Takedown". Tinaikar and Telgi hail from Khanapur village and knew each other during their childhood days. Tinaikars sources forewarned him about the killers and helped to fail their plans. Telgi reportedly offered Rs 15 lakh to contractor killers to finish Tinaikar and attempted to kidnap his daughters in 2002.

The Telgi Scam has been the subject of several documentaries and web series, including "Money Mafia," "Scam 2003," and "Paper".