Victim of Fraud in India? Reporting and Recovery Steps

If someone is in immediate danger: contact your local emergency service. Do not use the contact details supplied by a suspected fraudster.

Jump to:

Step-by-step fraud help guide for victims in India

Fraud in India can involve UPI and bank-transfer scams, identity theft, phishing messages, fake investments, online shopping fraud, digital-arrest scams, forged business correspondence, or fraudulent job and visa offers. If you believe you have been defrauded, act immediately: stop communicating with the suspected fraudster, do not send additional money, contact your bank or payment provider, secure compromised accounts, preserve the evidence, and report the incident through the appropriate official service.

Fraudsters frequently make messages and documents appear to come from legitimate companies, government departments, banks, employers, police officers, courier companies or professional advisers. They may copy logos, signatures, invoices, employee names and official-looking letterheads. Understanding how scammers misuse company letterhead and business identities can help you identify warning signs before sending money or personal information.

Be especially cautious when someone creates urgency, demands secrecy, threatens arrest or account suspension, asks you to install a screen-sharing application, or tells you to transfer money to a “safe account.” No legitimate police, court, bank or government officer should require you to transfer money for investigation or verification. A professional-looking PDF, job offer, certificate, invoice or company logo does not prove authenticity. Learning how secure document authentication works can help recipients distinguish genuine correspondence from forged or altered documents.

Before responding to an important request, contact the organization using a telephone number or website you independently verify. Do not rely only on the contact details contained in the message or document. Businesses can also reduce impersonation risks by adopting verifiable business communication practices that allow recipients to confirm whether correspondence is genuine.

1. Stop Further Losses

1. Stop communicating with the suspected fraudster and do not send additional money.

2. If money was transferred through a bank, UPI application, card, wallet or payment service, contact the provider immediately using its official application, website or telephone number. Ask it to block further transactions and attempt to freeze or recall the transferred funds.

3. For cyber financial fraud, call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 immediately. Also submit and complete a complaint at:
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/

4. If anyone is in immediate physical danger, a crime is in progress, or the fraudster is threatening violence, call India’s emergency number 112.

5. Secure affected email, banking, social-media and shopping accounts. Change passwords from a trusted device, sign out of other sessions and enable two-factor authentication.

6. If remote-access or screen-sharing software was installed, disconnect the device from the internet. Do not use it for banking until it has been checked and secured.

7. Preserve evidence before deleting or blocking anything. Save screenshots, emails, full email headers, telephone numbers, website addresses, advertisements, chat histories, transaction IDs, UPI IDs, bank-account details, QR codes, receipts and copies of suspicious documents.

8. Do not pay anyone who promises guaranteed recovery of the stolen money. Fraud victims are frequently targeted again by recovery scammers.

2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider

Contact your bank, card issuer, UPI application, wallet or payment provider immediately through its independently verified official channel.

Ask the provider to:

• Block affected cards, accounts, UPI access or wallets
• Stop or dispute unauthorized transactions
• Attempt to freeze or recall transferred funds
• Block the beneficiary, merchant or UPI ID when possible
• Reset internet-banking, mobile-banking and UPI access
• Issue a complaint or service-request number
• Confirm the report in writing

Never disclose an OTP, UPI PIN, CVV, card PIN, password or screen-sharing code. A UPI PIN is used to authorize a payment; it is not required to receive money.

Review all recent transactions and check whether beneficiaries, devices, telephone numbers or email addresses were added or changed. Remove unauthorized access and revoke unknown standing instructions or mandates.

Under RBI customer-protection directions, reporting an unauthorized electronic transaction quickly can materially affect the customer’s potential liability. Keep evidence showing when the transaction was discovered and when the bank was notified.

If the bank or RBI-regulated payment provider does not resolve the complaint satisfactorily, first complete the provider’s internal grievance process. An eligible unresolved service complaint can then be submitted through the RBI Complaint Management System:
https://cms.rbi.org.in/

RBI Complaint Management System contact number:
14448

A fraud report to the bank does not replace a report to 1930, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or police.

3. Report the Fraud to Police

If anyone is in immediate danger, a crime is in progress, or urgent police assistance is required, call 112. It is India’s nationwide emergency number for police, fire, ambulance and other emergency assistance.

For a non-emergency fraud, visit your nearest police station or cybercrime police station. Bring identification and copies of the evidence, including transaction records, bank-account or UPI details, emails, messages, telephone numbers, website addresses and suspicious documents.

Explain when and how the fraud occurred, what information or money was provided, how much was lost, and whether the fraudster still has access to any account or device. Request an acknowledgement or reference number and retain a copy of your written complaint.

Cybercrime complaints submitted through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal are handled by the appropriate State or Union Territory law-enforcement agency. Police reporting procedures and terminology may vary by jurisdiction.

Do not delay a report because all evidence is not yet available. Submit the available information promptly and provide additional evidence when requested.

4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud

India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal accepts online complaints, while 1930 provides immediate assistance for cyber financial fraud.

The 1930 helpline operates 24/7 for immediate cyber-financial-fraud reporting. The portal also allows reporting of suspect identifiers.

For cyber financial fraud involving UPI, internet banking, payment wallets, cards or unauthorized electronic transfers, call 1930 immediately. Speed is important because banks, payment providers and law-enforcement agencies may be able to identify and restrict the movement of funds.

After calling 1930, use the acknowledgement or complaint information you receive to complete the report promptly at:
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/

The portal can also be used to report phishing, account hacking, social-media fraud, identity theft, online shopping fraud, cryptocurrency fraud, cyberstalking, impersonation and other cybercrimes.

Provide accurate information, including:

• Your name, mobile number and State or Union Territory
• Date and time of the incident
• Amount lost
• Bank, card, wallet or UPI information
• Transaction ID or UTR number
• Beneficiary account, UPI ID, wallet or merchant information
• Fraudster’s telephone numbers, email addresses and social-media accounts
• Website addresses and application names
• Screenshots, messages, emails and payment receipts
• Any complaint number already issued by your bank or payment provider

Retain the acknowledgement number so that you can track the complaint. If the response is not appropriate, the portal publishes contact details for State and Union Territory cybercrime nodal and grievance officers.

Use the “Report Suspect” facility to report suspicious telephone numbers, WhatsApp or Telegram accounts, email addresses, social-media profiles, SMS headers and website URLs.

Suspected fraudulent calls, SMS messages and WhatsApp communications can also be reported through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi portal:
https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/

5. Protect Your Identity

If Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving-licence, banking, tax or other identity information was exposed:

1. Report the identity theft through:
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/

2. Change passwords for affected email, banking, tax, shopping and social-media accounts. Enable two-factor authentication and remove unknown devices or sessions.

3. If Aadhaar information or biometrics may be compromised, review Aadhaar authentication history and consider locking Aadhaar or biometric authentication through My Aadhaar:
https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/

4. Contact UIDAI for Aadhaar-related assistance:
https://uidai.gov.in/
Telephone: 1947

5. If an Income Tax e-Filing account or PAN information was misused, use the Income Tax Department’s account-misuse process and retain copies of the cybercrime or police complaint:
https://www.incometax.gov.in/

6. If a passport was lost, stolen or copied during the fraud, report the matter to police and follow the lost or stolen passport instructions through Passport Seva:
https://www.passportindia.gov.in/

7. Check whether mobile connections have been issued in your name through the Sanchar Saathi portal and report any connection you do not recognize:
https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/

8. Monitor bank accounts, credit reports, tax records, telephone accounts and government services for unfamiliar activity.

Do not upload identity documents to links sent by an unknown caller or message sender. Access government services by typing the official address directly into your browser.

6. Protect Your Credit

India has four RBI-registered credit information companies:

TransUnion CIBIL:
https://www.cibil.com/

Experian India:
https://www.experian.in/

Equifax India:
https://www.equifax.co.in/

CRIF High Mark:
https://www.crifhighmark.com/

Obtain and review your credit reports for loans, credit cards or enquiries you do not recognize. Dispute inaccurate or fraudulent information directly with the relevant credit information company and lender.

Keep copies of your cybercrime or police complaint, identity documents, correspondence with the lender and the credit bureau’s dispute reference number.

India does not use exactly the same nationwide “fraud alert” or “credit freeze” system available in some other countries. Ask each credit information company and lender what protective measures or dispute procedures are currently available.

If a credit information company does not resolve an eligible complaint through its internal process, the matter may be escalated through the RBI Complaint Management System:
https://cms.rbi.org.in/

7. Consumer-Protection Resources

For a grievance involving an online seller, service provider, misleading advertisement, defective product, unauthorized charge or unfair business practice, first complain to the business through an independently verified official channel.

If the matter is not resolved, register a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline:

Website:
https://consumerhelpline.gov.in/

Telephone:
1915 or 1800-11-4000

SMS or WhatsApp:
8800001915

Email:
[email protected]

The National Consumer Helpline is a pre-litigation grievance-redressal service. Preserve invoices, advertisements, order confirmations, payment records, messages, delivery records and the seller’s response.

If formal filing before a Consumer Commission is appropriate, use the Government of India’s e-Jagriti portal:
https://e-jagriti.gov.in/

The e-Jagriti portal replaced and consolidated e-Daakhil and other earlier consumer-dispute systems. A consumer grievance does not replace a report to 1930, the cybercrime portal or police when a criminal fraud may have occurred.

8. Employment and Immigration Fraud

Be cautious of unexpected job offers, especially when no genuine interview took place or the sender demands payment for recruitment, training, equipment, medical tests, accommodation, work permits, visas, travel or security deposits.

Verify the employer through its independently located official website and publicly listed telephone number. Do not rely only on contact information contained in the job offer, PDF, email or messaging account.

For overseas employment:

• Check whether the recruiting agent is registered through the Government of India’s eMigrate system:
https://emigrate.gov.in/

• Verify the employer and job offer independently.

• Contact the relevant Indian Embassy or High Commission if the offer is for employment outside India.

• Do not travel on a tourist or visitor visa when the promised purpose is employment.

• Be suspicious of requests to pay money into personal accounts or cryptocurrency wallets.

• Preserve the advertisement, job offer, employment contract, email headers, telephone numbers, recruiter details, payment instructions and copies of all submitted identity documents.

Report online recruitment and visa fraud through:
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/

If money was transferred, call 1930 immediately. Also submit a complaint to local police or the appropriate cybercrime police station.

A legitimate-looking letterhead, company registration record, recruiter profile or employment contract does not by itself prove that the sender is authorized by the named employer. Contact the organization independently and ask it to verify the specific offer and signatory.

Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers

Emergency police, fire or ambulance:
112

National Cyber Crime Helpline – cyber financial fraud:
1930

National Consumer Helpline:
1915
1800-11-4000

National Consumer Helpline SMS and WhatsApp:
8800001915

RBI Complaint Management System:
14448

UIDAI Aadhaar helpline:
1947

Passport Seva:
1800-258-1800

SEBI investor helplines:
1800-22-7575
1800-266-7575

National Women Helpline:
181

Official National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal:
https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/

Department of Telecommunications – Sanchar Saathi:
https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/

RBI Complaint Management System:
https://cms.rbi.org.in/

National Consumer Helpline:
https://consumerhelpline.gov.in/

Consumer Commission filing – e-Jagriti:
https://e-jagriti.gov.in/

SEBI investor complaint portal – SCORES:
https://scores.sebi.gov.in/

Report the Fraud

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs – National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal

National fraud-reporting website → Police reporting website → Cybercrime reporting website →

Official Sources

Received a suspicious business document?

Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.

Verify a Suspicious Document Visit the Community Support Centre

Important: This guide provides general information and is not legal, financial or emergency advice. Fraud-reporting and police procedures may differ between Indian States and Union Territories. Confirm current instructions directly with the relevant authority before acting. Reporting a complaint does not guarantee recovery of lost money. Never send money, disclose an OTP or UPI PIN, or install remote-access software for someone who contacts you unexpectedly and claims they can recover fraud losses.