You lost money in an online scam
What to do in the first hour, and who to call.
Someone tricked you into a UPI payment, emptied your account, or cheated you through a fake website or a phone call. Speed decides whether you get your money back. If you report fast, the bank can often freeze the money before the scammer takes it out. Here is what to do.
What the law says
- Call 1930. It is the government's free helpline for online money fraud, and cybercrime.gov.in is the portal. When you report fast, your bank and the scammer's bank can freeze the money while it is still in the system.
- Under RBI rules, if you report an unauthorised transaction quickly, ideally within three days, you may have to pay nothing. The bank bears the loss, not you. The longer you wait, the more of the loss can fall on you.
- Online cheating and fraud are crimes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the new criminal code that replaced the IPC, and under the Information Technology Act. The police can register an FIR.
- You have a right to a written acknowledgement of your complaint from the bank. If the bank does not settle it in 30 days, you can take it free of cost to the RBI Ombudsman.
What to do
- 1
Call 1930 first, before anything else
The national cybercrime helpline is free and open 24 hours. Reporting in the first few hours is what lets the banks freeze the money before the scammer withdraws it. Keep the details ready: the amount, the date, and the UPI ID, account number or phone number that received your money.
- 2
Report on cybercrime.gov.in and call your bank
File the complaint online at cybercrime.gov.in. Call your bank on its official number, the one printed on your card. Never call a number the scammer gave you. Ask the bank in writing to block the card or account and to freeze the disputed transaction.
- 3
Do not pay anything more, and save everything
Never make a payment for a "refund", "verification" or "unblocking". That is the scam continuing. Take screenshots of the messages, the transaction IDs, the fake website or profile, and the number that called you. This evidence is what gets your money back.
- 4
Get the complaint number and follow up
The portal gives you a complaint number, and your bank has to give you a written acknowledgement. If the bank has not settled it in 30 days, take it free of cost to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.
Your rights
Report the fraud, free, 24 hours
- How long it takes
- In the first few hours. The sooner the better.
- Where to go
- 1930 helpline / cybercrime.gov.in
- Cost
- Free
Pay nothing if you report fast
- How long it takes
- Report to your bank within 3 days
- Where to go
- Your bank, in writing
- Cost
- Free
Register an FIR
- How long it takes
- Any time, but do not delay
- Where to go
- Local police or cyber police station
- Cost
- Free
Take it to the RBI Ombudsman
- How long it takes
- If not settled after 30 days
- Where to go
- cms.rbi.org.in
- Cost
- Free
Common questions
When you need a lawyer
For most online fraud you do not need a lawyer to start. Speed and the 1930 complaint matter far more, and every step above is free. Get a lawyer if the amount is large and you are going to court to recover it, or if you have wrongly been named as the accused. If you need a formal written complaint or a legal notice to your bank, Miss Lucy Lite can write it for you. But make the 1930 call first.
Report it at cybercrime.gov.in, or call 1930This is guidance, not a lawyer. Miss Lucy Lite helps you understand your rights and what to do next. She is not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. If you need a document written, such as a notice, a complaint or an application, she can write it for you as a finished document. For a court case, see a lawyer.