Reporting a scam in India
First hour, in order
- Call your bank. Call your bank immediately; RBI rules limit customer liability where unauthorised transactions are reported promptly.
- Stop paying. No fee, tax or "release payment" ever unlocks money that does not exist.
- Screenshot everything before you delete an app, block a number or close an account.
- Then report using the routes below. Reporting is slower than the bank call, and less urgent — but it is what produces enforcement.
India’s national route is the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal run by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, with a dedicated financial-fraud helpline. India is also the main target of the ‘digital arrest’ scam, which is covered on its own page.
1930 is the national cyber financial fraud helpline. Call it before filing online if money has just moved — the sooner the report, the better the chance of a freeze.
Where to report
Also worth using
What not to do
- Do not pay anyone to recover your money. No legitimate service charges an up-front fee to get stolen funds back, and people who have just been scammed are the primary market for recovery scams.
- Do not use contact details the scammer gave you — not the phone number, not the "support" chat, not a link in a message. Look the agency up yourself.
- Do not delete the evidence. Apps, chats, wallet addresses and transaction IDs are what make a report actionable.
- Do not send one more payment. This is where most of the largest losses happen.
Sources
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 2026-09-06.