Scam explainer
Fake customer care number scam also called Fake helpline scam, Google customer care scam, Fake toll-free number
Fraudsters plant fake helpline numbers for banks, airlines, couriers and shops in search results and ads, then use your call to take card details, OTPs or remote access.
AI-generated illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.
How it works
- You search online for a company's helpline to fix a refund, booking or account problem.
- A number in the search results, a map listing or an ad is answered by a polite 'executive'.
- The agent asks you to install a support app, fill a form, pay a small fee or share card details and an OTP to 'process' the refund.
- Money leaves your account, and the details you shared may be reused for further fraud.
Composite example, not a real case
A refund, a search result and a helpful 'executive'
- Priya, 38, a school teacher in Pune, is waiting for a refund on a cancelled flight. She searches online for the airline's helpline and calls the first number she sees.
- A polite 'executive' answers, confirms her booking details and says the refund is stuck. He asks her to install an app so he can 'guide her through the process'.
- He then asks her to enter her UPI PIN to 'receive' the refund, and to read out an OTP to 'verify' her account.
- Two debits leave her account within minutes. When she calls back, the number is switched off.
- Priya calls 1930, then her bank's number from the back of her card to block UPI and cards, uninstalls the app and files a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in.
Who gets targeted
Anyone who searches online for a company's helpline to fix a refund, booking or account problem. People are often stressed and in a hurry at that moment, which the scammers count on.
Red flags
- A helpline number found through a search result, ad or map listing rather than the company's own website or app.
- A mobile number presented as a toll-free line.
- Requests for an OTP, UPI PIN, card CVV or a small 'verification' payment.
- Instructions to install a screen-sharing or remote-access app.
What to do
- Get helpline numbers only from the company's official website, app, statement or the back of your card.
- If you shared details or paid, call 1930 and your bank immediately, and block your card or UPI.
- File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the number you called and the transaction details.
- Uninstall any app the 'agent' asked you to install.
- Report the number through Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi under fake customer care helpline.
How to protect yourself
- Take helpline numbers only from the company's official website or app, your account statement, or the back of your card. Never from a search result, ad or map listing.
- Treat a mobile number presented as a toll-free helpline as a warning sign.
- Never share an OTP, UPI PIN or card CVV with anyone on a call, whoever they say they are.
- Remember that receiving money never needs you to scan a QR code or enter your UPI PIN.
- Refuse to install any screen-sharing or remote-access app because a caller asked you to.
- Before you call or pay an unfamiliar number, check it on I4C's suspect search. A clean result does not prove it is safe.
Official tools, explained
- How to check a phone number, UPI ID or website on I4C's suspect search
- How to report cyber fraud in India: calling 1930 and filing on cybercrime.gov.in
- How to report a fraud call, SMS or WhatsApp message on Sanchar Saathi Chakshu
- How to complain to the RBI Ombudsman when your bank or payment app doesn't resolve a fraud complaint
Step-by-step guideLost money in a UPI fraud? What to do in the first hour, and how to complain on 1930
The numbers
Police advisories continue to warn about numbers found through Google searches; Himachal Pradesh police issued one in January 2026 (The Tribune). No official loss figure for this scam type has been published.
- Chakshu reports of fake customer care helplines rose from 30,969 in 2024 to 60,985 in 2025, DoT told the Rajya Sabha. — PIB (DoT) — Chakshu facility of Sanchar Saathi: suspected fraud communications reported, Rajya Sabha reply (5 Feb 2026)
Questions people ask
How do I find a company's real customer care number?
Use the company's official website or app, your account statement or the back of your card. Numbers in search results, ads and map listings can be planted by fraudsters.
Do I need to enter my UPI PIN to get a refund?
No. RBI says receiving money never requires you to scan a QR code or enter your PIN. Entering your PIN sends money out of your account.
I shared an OTP and money was taken. Will my bank refund it?
Under RBI's current rules, if you shared your PIN or OTP you bear the loss until you report it, so report to your bank and 1930 at once. For transactions from 1 January 2027, people tricked into losing up to ₹50,000 can get one-time compensation of 85% of the net loss, up to ₹25,000, if they report within 5 calendar days.
The 'agent' made me install an app. What should I do?
Uninstall it, tell your bank to block your cards and UPI, and change your UPI PIN and banking passwords from a different, trusted device. Such apps can let fraudsters see your data, OTPs and PIN.
I called a fake number but did not lose money. Where do I report it?
Report it on Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi under fake customer care helpline, within 30 days. If you did lose money, call 1930 and file on cybercrime.gov.in instead.
Desk coverage
- Life certificate season: the fake 'pension office' call that asks for your PPO number and OTP
- FASTag annual pass scam: fake sites selling the ₹3,075 pass, and the official way to buy it
- Installed an app from a link or ad? How Accessibility malware takes over phones, and what to do
- Phone lost or stolen? The first-hour checklist for SIM, UPI and bank apps, then the CEIR block
Sources
- The Tribune — Police issue advisory on fake customer care numbers (12 Jan 2026)
- The News Minute — Googling customer care numbers? Be warned of scammers, says Hyd police advisory (18 Jan 2020)
- PIB (DoT) — Chakshu facility of Sanchar Saathi: suspected fraud communications reported, Rajya Sabha reply (5 Feb 2026)
- RBI — Customer Protection: Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions (6 Jul 2017)
- RBI — Review of framework of limiting customer liability in digital transactions: Amendment Directions (24 Jun 2026)
- RBI — Consumer Awareness: Cyber Threats and Frauds (28 Jan 2022)
- PIB — Curbing Cyber Frauds in Digital India (8 Oct 2025)
- PIB (MHA) — Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Lok Sabha reply (17 Mar 2026)
- PIB (MHA) — I4C introduces e-Zero FIR initiative (19 May 2025)
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal — FAQ