Money lost to online fraud? What to do now

The questions need JavaScript, so here is the full checklist instead. If money has gone, start with the first three steps; if no money has gone yet, start with the three after them. Then do the steps marked for your situation.

The full checklist

If money has gone, start with the first three steps. If you only shared an OTP, PIN, password or screen access and no money has gone yet, start with the three after them. Then do the steps marked for your situation.

Do these three now

For: If money has gone

Call 1930 now
Call 1930
1930 is the national cyber fraud helpline. Your call goes into the system that links the police with banks and payment companies, so money still sitting in the receiving account can be blocked before it is moved on.
Keep ready: the bank or wallet the money left from, your account number or UPI ID, the transaction ID and date of each payment, and the card number if a card was misused. Write down the acknowledgement number you get by SMS or email. It is a complaint number, not an FIR.
Last hour: You are inside the first hour. Report first and investigate later: every hour you wait gives the money time to move.
More than 3 days ago: Days have passed? Still call. A designated police officer verifies the complaint and reports it to the banks and payment companies involved, so money can be blocked where it is still available.
How to call 1930, and what to say The first hour, in detail
Tell your bank or card issuer, on its official number
Block your card, UPI and net banking, and report the transactions as fraud. Ask for a complaint reference number and note the date and time.
Use only a number from your bank's official website or app, your statement or the back of your card. Scammers plant fake 'customer care' numbers in search results and on social media.
UPI: Ask the bank to block UPI and to raise a fraud dispute for each transaction.
Card: Block the card on the number printed on its back or through the bank's official app.
Net banking or transfer: Block net banking and report each transfer with its date, amount and reference number (UTR).
Wallet: Report it to the wallet company as well, through its official app or website.
Crypto or trading app: If you paid rupees by UPI or bank transfer, tell your bank at once. If the platform is a registered exchange, also report the account and transactions to its support through the official app.
Official fraud numbers for 20 banks Your rights with your bank
Complete the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in
Open cybercrime.gov.in, choose Register a Complaint, then Financial Fraud. If you already called 1930, use the ID you were sent to complete that complaint rather than starting a second one. Add the suspect's phone numbers, UPI IDs, accounts and links, upload your evidence, submit, and download the PDF copy.
Crypto or trading app: The portal lists cryptocurrency crimes among the complaints it takes.
More than 3 days ago: Reporting late? Say why in the description.
Filing on the portal, step by step

No money gone yet: do these three now

For: No money gone yet

Call your bank now, on its official number
Ask it to block your card, UPI and net banking before any money goes, and note the complaint reference number, date and time. Use only a number from your bank's official website or app, your statement or the back of your card. Scammers plant fake 'customer care' numbers in search results and on social media.
Do not wait: under RBI's rules, if you shared your PIN or OTP you bear any loss until you report it to your bank. That is the 2017 rule for transactions up to 31 December 2026, and the new rules from 1 January 2027 keep it.
Official fraud numbers for 20 banks Your rights with your bank
Remove any app they had you install, and change your PIN
Uninstall any app you installed at someone's request, such as a screen-sharing app: RBI warns such apps can give fraudsters access to all your data. Change your UPI PIN and banking passwords from a different, trusted device.
1 to 3 days ago, More than 3 days ago: You shared it days ago? Check your bank statement and app now for any debit you did not make.
Block, clean up and change your PIN
If any money leaves your account, call 1930 at once
Call 1930
1930 is the national helpline for money lost to cyber fraud. Call with the transaction ID, date and amount of each debit, then complete the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in.
Until then, if it started with a call, SMS or WhatsApp message in the last 30 days, report that on Chakshu, on the Sanchar Saathi portal. Chakshu is for fraud attempts where no money was lost, and it does not send individual updates. If one of your accounts was taken over, you can also file on cybercrime.gov.in under Other Cyber Crime.
Report a fraud call or message on Chakshu How to call 1930, and what to say

They are still contacting you: stop it here

For: Still in contact

Screenshot everything, then stop replying and block them
Save the chats, call logs, numbers, UPI IDs and links first, and do not delete anything. Then stop replying and block the sender. Do not open links or call back numbers they gave you.
Which evidence helps
Do not pay them anything
A 'tax', a withdrawal fee, a 'settlement' or one more deposit is another payment to the same people. Nothing guarantees that paying ends the demands.
Why the fees never end Threats and 'settlement' demands
For: If money has gone
Nobody can get your money back for a fee
Victims are targeted a second time by people posing as lawyers, 'ethical hackers', police or government recovery agents. No government body charges for a complaint, and no one can pay to speed up a 1930 case. Held money is released only by a police notice or a court order, never by a private agency. Hang up, and report any recovery offer on 1930.
How recovery scams work
If they threaten you
For threats, or edited or morphed images sent to you or your contacts, go to your local police station or cyber cell with your screenshots and ask for an FIR. For a crime happening right now, call 112. No Indian agency arrests or questions anyone over a video call.
If it is affecting your sleep, work or safety, call Tele-MANAS on 14416, the Health Ministry's free, 24x7 mental health helpline.
Harassment and threats: where to complain The digital arrest scam

Then, for your situation

For: UPI
Lock down your UPI
If you installed an app at a caller's request, such as a screen-sharing app, uninstall it: RBI warns such apps can give fraudsters access to all your data. Then change your UPI PIN and banking passwords from a different, trusted device.
For next time: receiving money never needs your UPI PIN or a QR code scan.
Block, clean up and change your PIN How UPI and QR code fraud works
For: Card
List every card transaction you did not make
Go through your card statement or app and note each transaction you did not make, with its date, amount and reference. You need them for the written complaint below.
Card blocking numbers and SMS formats
For: Net banking or transfer
Secure your net banking
If you installed an app at a caller's request, uninstall it. Change your net banking password and UPI PIN from a different, trusted device. Keep the reference number (UTR) of each transfer and the account it went to.
Block, clean up and change your passwords
For: Wallet
Complain to the wallet company in writing
Complain to the wallet company first, in writing, listing each transaction, and keep the reference number. If it does not reply within 30 days (or the longer timeline RBI, NPCI or the card network sets for that kind of case), or you are not satisfied with its reply, you can go to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in, which also takes complaints against prepaid wallets. You then have 90 days to file. It is free.
Complaining to the RBI Ombudsman
For: Crypto or trading app
Stop paying, and save the money trail
A 'tax', fee or 'unlock charge' to withdraw is a request for more money, not a way to get yours back. Save transaction hashes, wallet addresses, the app or website address, every UPI ID and account you paid, and screenshots of the chats and your balance.
SEBI's complaint system, SCORES, does not take complaints about unregistered or unregulated activity, so a fake trading group or app is a matter for 1930 and the police.
Crypto scams: if you have lost money Fake trading apps and stock tips groups Fake UP/DOWN trading games
For: Something else
Describe exactly what happened
In the complaint, pick the sub-category that fits best, then say roughly when it happened, where, and what was said or done. Add what you know about the suspect: phone numbers, UPI IDs, account numbers, profile links, websites.
Filing on the portal, step by step Every scam, explained
For: If money left your bank account or card
Send your bank a written complaint
Email or write to your bank listing each transaction's date, amount and reference, and keep the complaint number. Do this whether or not you think the payment counts as authorised. RBI's 2017 rules cover transactions you did not authorise; from 1 January 2027 the new rules also cover payments made with details tricked out of you, or that you approved under coercion. How quickly you report decides how much of the loss you can be made to bear, and the rule depends on the date of the transaction:
- Transactions up to 31 December 2026 (RBI's 2017 rules): you owe nothing if the bank was at fault, or if a third party caused it, neither you nor the bank was at fault, and you report within 3 working days of the bank's alert. Report within 4 to 7 working days and your loss is capped at between ₹5,000 and ₹25,000 depending on the account, or the transaction amount if that is lower. After that, the bank's own policy applies.
- Transactions from 1 January 2027 (RBI's new rules): you owe nothing if the bank was at fault, or if a third party caused it and you report within 5 calendar days of the transaction. Weekends and holidays count. If you were tricked into giving your details and lost up to ₹50,000, you can claim compensation of 85% of the net loss, up to ₹25,000, once in your lifetime. It covers frauds in the first year of the new rules, your bank must accept the loss as genuine, and you must have reported to your bank and to 1930 or the cybercrime portal within 5 calendar days.
The bank has to prove you were liable; you do not have to prove you were not.
Crypto or trading app: Crypto or trading app: this covers the rupees you paid by UPI or bank transfer.
Last hour, Earlier today: A complaint sent today is inside the reporting window under either set of rules.
1 to 3 days ago: Send it today. For transactions up to 31 December 2026, the 3 working days run from the bank's alert, counted by your home branch's schedule and not counting the day you got the alert. From 1 January 2027, the 5 calendar days run from the transaction.
More than 3 days ago: Still send it now. How much you can be made to bear then depends on how many working days have passed (transactions up to 31 December 2026), or on the bank's own policy once 5 calendar days have passed (transactions from 1 January 2027).
Card: Credit card fraud from 1 January 2027: the bank must reverse the disputed amount on your card within 5 calendar days of your complaint.
RBI's liability rules in full RBI's new rules from 1 January 2027, explained

Save this evidence

If money has gone: The transaction ID or UTR, date, time and amount of every debit, from your UPI app, bank SMS or statement
Your bank, your account number or UPI ID, and the phone number linked to it
UPI, Net banking or transfer, Wallet, Crypto or trading app, Something else: The UPI ID, account or QR code the money went to
Card: The number of the card that was misused
Crypto or trading app: Transaction hashes, wallet addresses, and the app or website address
The scammer's phone numbers, links, app names and profile names
Screenshots of the payment, the chat, the caller's number and the website or app. Do not delete chats or call logs.
Bank statement, emails and receipts
If money has gone: Your 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in acknowledgement number, and the complaint reference from your bank or wallet company. For transactions from 1 January 2027, you need the acknowledgement to claim compensation.
No money gone yet: Your bank's complaint reference number, and the date and time you reported

What to keep ready Which evidence helps

In the days after

For: If money has gone
Track your complaint
Use Track your Complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with your acknowledgement number. State police send updates by SMS and email. If you are unhappy with how it is handled, each state has a nodal and grievance officer.
What your complaint status means Cyber police contacts by state
For: If money has gone
Get an FIR or e-FIR on record
The acknowledgement number is a complaint reference, not an FIR. Take it to your local cyber cell or police station.
FIRs and e-FIRs for cyber fraud
For: If money has gone
If you get a message that money is on hold
A hold stops the money moving. It does not return it. Apply as soon as you get the hold message, through the Home Ministry's Money Restoration Module at mrm-ncrp.mha.gov.in with your 14-digit acknowledgement number, or through a court. You need an FIR copy if more than ₹50,000 is held in one account.
How held money is released
For: If money left your bank account or card
If the bank does not resolve it
For transactions up to 31 December 2026, the bank must credit the disputed amount within 10 working days of your report and settle the complaint within 90 days. For transactions from 1 January 2027, it must settle within 45 days, or 60 for cross-border transactions.
If the bank does not reply within 30 days (or the longer timeline RBI, NPCI or the card network sets for that kind of case), or you disagree with its decision, go to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. You then have 90 days to file. It is free, and you do not need an agent.
How to complain to the RBI Ombudsman
For: If money has gone, and no one is in touch now
If anyone later offers to get it back, it is a scam
Victims are often contacted again by fake lawyers, 'ethical hackers', police or recovery agents who ask for a fee. No government body charges for a complaint, and no one can pay to speed up a 1930 case.
How recovery scams work

If money has gone: Be realistic. Nobody can promise your money back: recovery depends on how fast the report reached the bank and where the money went. Speed is the one thing you control. The real routes, and the odds.

Different problem? If your own bank account was frozen after someone else's complaint, read what to do about a frozen account. If a loan app is harassing you or your contacts, read the loan app guide.

Where these steps come from

Every step restates one of our sourced guides and links to it. These are the pages behind this checklist:

Money lost to online fraud? What to do now

Question 1 of 3 How did the money go, or what did you share?

Question 2 of 3 When did it happen?

Question 3 of 3 Is someone still contacting you?