If you have just lost money to an online scam, or shared a code you should not have, speed matters more than anything else. This checklist is for people in India and puts the steps in the order that usually helps most. It is general guidance, not legal or financial advice, and we cannot recover money for you. Your bank and the authorities decide that.
Contact points and portals change, so confirm them on the official sites linked below. We last checked them on 1 November 2026.
1. In the first hour: try to stop the money
- Call your bank or card issuer using the number printed on your card or shown in the official app. Do not use a number from the message, a search result or the caller. Ask them to block the card or account, or to hold or recall the payment if they can.
- Call the national cyber crime helpline, 1930. It handles financial cyber fraud and is meant to be called quickly after the payment, because the sooner a transfer is flagged, the more options there are to hold it. Give them the amount, time, account or UPI ID and transaction ID.
- Do not wait to collect all the proof before calling. Make the calls first and gather evidence straight after.
2. The same day: file the report
- File a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) and keep the acknowledgement number.
- Ask your bank for a written complaint reference and its dispute process. Banks and payment apps have time limits for reporting unauthorised transactions, so report immediately and keep records of when you did.
- If your bank or the police ask you to visit in person, go with your ID, statement and the evidence listed below.
3. Save the evidence before it disappears
- Screenshots of messages, chats, call logs, numbers, UPI IDs, account numbers, website addresses and payment confirmations.
- Transaction IDs, dates and times, and the amount.
- Do not delete the chat or block the scammer until you have saved everything. Do not reply to them or argue.
4. Secure your accounts
- Change the password of your email first, then banking, payment and shopping accounts, from the real app or site. Use a different password for each. A password manager and two-step verification make this much easier.
- Sign out of all other sessions and check that your recovery email and phone number are yours.
- If the caller asked you to install an app, share your screen or give remote access, uninstall it, restart the phone and check which apps have device-administrator or accessibility access in settings. If you are unsure what is safe to keep, see the steps in what to do if you clicked a phishing link.
- If you shared an OTP, PIN or card details, tell the bank, because those can still be used even if no money has moved yet.
5. Report the scam itself
- Suspicious calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages: report them through Chakshu on the Sanchar Saathi portal of the Department of Telecommunications. This helps get fraud numbers and connections blocked.
- Fake pages and profiles: report them in the app, platform or search engine where you saw them.
- The brand being imitated: use the real company's official contact page so that it can act on the fake.
Common scams in India and the warning sign in each
UPI collect requests and "wrong payment" refunds
You get a request to approve a payment, or someone says they sent money by mistake and asks you to send it back. You never enter your UPI PIN to receive money. If an app asks for your PIN, money is leaving your account.
KYC update and "your account will be blocked"
A message with a link or number tells you to update KYC or lose access. Banks and wallets do not ask for your OTP, card number or PIN by message or call. Open the official app yourself, or call the number on your card, and check there.
Fake courier, customs and parcel calls
A call says a parcel in your name contains something illegal and connects you to a "police" or "cyber cell" officer. Real agencies do not demand payment or secrecy over a phone or video call. Hang up.
"Digital arrest" video calls
Scammers in uniform or on a staged "police station" background claim you are under investigation and tell you to stay on the call and transfer money to "verify" your funds. There is no such thing as a lawful digital arrest. End the call and tell someone you trust.
Fake customer-care numbers
Numbers that appear in a search result, map listing or social post can be fake. Get a bank, delivery or airline number from its official app, card or website, and never install a screen-sharing app because a "support agent" asks.
Task, part-time job and investment groups
Telegram or WhatsApp offers to earn money for liking videos or completing small tasks often start with a small payout and then ask for larger "deposits". Trading or crypto groups that guarantee returns work the same way. A real employer does not charge you to start work.
Electricity, SIM or phone disconnection threats
A message says your power or SIM will be cut tonight unless you call a number or install an app. Check with the provider through its official channel.
Rules that hold for almost every case
- No genuine bank, police officer or government office asks for an OTP, PIN, CVV or a payment to "clear" a case or "secure" your money.
- Urgency, secrecy and instructions to stay on the phone are warning signs in themselves.
- If a message makes you panic, stop and contact the organisation yourself, using a number you already trust.
What not to do
- Do not pay a "recovery agent", "hacker" or "lawyer" who contacts you offering to get your money back. These are frequently a second scam aimed at people who were already cheated.
- Do not send more money to "unlock" the first payment or to pay a "fee" or "tax" on a refund.
- Do not post your full complaint details or documents publicly. Share them only with your bank and the authorities.
Check things before they cost you
Paste a link into the suspicious link checker and a message into the scam and phishing detector. Both run in your browser and do not send what you paste to our servers. They give a second opinion, not a guarantee, so use the official routes above whenever money or accounts are involved. To spot lookalike pages, read how to spot fake login pages, and for fake virus warnings see malicious popups and fake virus warnings. The security checkup lists the next few steps for your own accounts.
This guide is general information. For money already lost, your bank and the official helpline and portal above are the right first contacts.