Tech for Beginners Part 28: Been Scammed? How to Report Fraud via 1930, cybercrime.gov.in and Sanchar Saathi

If you have lost money to a fraud, the first hour matters more than anything else. Victims often waste precious time feeling ashamed, arguing with themselves, or calling the fraudster back. Reporting quickly gives the authorities and banks the best chance to freeze the money before it is moved on. This is Part 28 of our Tech for Beginners series. Today we will explain exactly what to do after a cyber fraud: calling the 1930 helpline, filing a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, informing your bank, and using Sanchar Saathi to report suspicious calls and messages, block a lost phone and check mobile connections in your name.

We covered common scams in Part 25, digital arrest calls in Part 26 and phishing in Part 27. For your rights as a bank customer, read our guide to bank customer rights and complaints, and for payment fraud specifically, see protecting yourself from UPI and online payment frauds.

A note on changes: government portals and their menus are updated from time to time. The steps below describe the general process at the time of writing; follow the on-screen instructions on the official sites.

First, do not blame yourself

Fraud gangs are organised and skilled at creating fear and urgency. Educated, careful people are tricked every day. Feeling embarrassed is normal, but staying silent only helps the fraudster. Act now, and tell a family member so they can help you.

The first hour: a quick checklist

1. Stop all contact with the fraudster. Do not send more money, even if they promise to return the first amount.
2. Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline.
3. Call your bank on its official helpline and block your card, UPI or net banking as needed.
4. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in (if 1930 has not already registered one for you).
5. Save evidence: screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs, account numbers, transaction IDs and links.

Step 1: Call 1930

1930 is the national helpline for reporting cyber financial fraud. It is linked to a system that connects police, banks and payment companies so that money can be traced and frozen quickly.

Before or during the call, keep ready

• Your name, mobile number and address.
• Your bank name and account number, or card number (last digits).
• Date, time and amount of each fraudulent transaction.
• Transaction IDs or UTR numbers (found in your UPI app history or bank SMS).
• The fraudster's phone number, UPI ID, bank account number or website link, if you have them.

On the call

1. Explain clearly what happened and when.
2. Give the transaction details one by one.
3. Note down the acknowledgement number or complaint number you are given. It may also come by SMS.
4. Ask what you should do next. You will usually be told to complete or confirm the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, often within a short time.

If the line is busy, keep trying, and meanwhile file the complaint online.

Step 2: File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, cybercrime.gov.in, is run by the Ministry of Home Affairs. You can report financial fraud as well as other cyber crimes, such as online harassment or fake profiles.

1. Open cybercrime.gov.in in your browser. Type the address yourself; do not search for it and click an ad.
2. Choose the option to file a complaint and pick the category, such as financial fraud or other cyber crime.
3. Log in or register with your mobile number and OTP.
4. Fill in your details, the incident details (what happened, when and how), and each transaction: bank, transaction ID, date and amount.
5. Add details of the suspect, such as phone numbers, UPI IDs, websites or social media profiles.
6. Upload evidence: screenshots of chats, call logs, SMS, bank statements and payment screens. Check the file size and format limits shown on the page.
7. Review and submit. Note the acknowledgement number and download or screenshot the complaint copy.
8. Use the portal to track your complaint later.

The portal also has a facility for reporting crimes against women and children, which can be done anonymously.

How to organise your evidence

Good evidence makes your complaint stronger and saves time later. Do this as soon as you can, before chats are deleted:

1. Take screenshots of the whole chat, including the fraudster's profile and number. Do not delete the chat.
2. Save call logs: screenshot the list of calls with dates and times.
3. Collect payment proofs: screenshots from your UPI app history showing the UTR number, and the bank SMS for each debit.
4. Download your bank statement for the relevant days from your bank app or net banking.
5. Write a short timeline in plain words: when the first contact happened, what was said, and each payment in order.
6. Keep everything in one folder on your phone or computer, and also back it up (we cover backups in Part 34).

If the fraud involved fake police or "digital arrest" calls, our guide to financial scams and digital arrest explains how these gangs operate, which can help you describe what happened.

Step 3: Inform your bank in writing

1. Call the bank's official customer care number (from its website, your card or passbook) and ask to block the affected card, UPI or net banking.
2. Report the unauthorised transactions and get a complaint or reference number.
3. Follow up in writing through the bank's app, email or branch, mentioning your 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in acknowledgement number.
4. Under RBI rules, how quickly you report affects how much of the loss you may have to bear. Where the fraud was not due to your negligence and you report within three working days, your liability can be zero. Report as quickly as possible in every case.
5. If the bank does not resolve your complaint, you can escalate to its grievance officer and then to the RBI Ombudsman through the RBI's complaint portal, after the waiting period set in the rules.

Step 4: Visit the police if needed

For large losses, or if asked, visit your nearest police station or cyber crime cell with printouts of your complaint, bank statements and evidence. Ask for an FIR or a receipt of your complaint. For an emergency involving threats or danger, call 112.

Using Sanchar Saathi

Sanchar Saathi is a portal and app of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It has several useful services.

Report suspicious calls and messages: Chakshu

Use Chakshu to report suspected fraud calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages, such as fake KYC, impersonation of officials, investment offers or phishing links, even if you did not lose money. Chakshu is not for reporting money already lost; for that use 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in.

1. Open sancharsaathi.gov.in or the official Sanchar Saathi app.
2. Choose Chakshu (Report suspected fraud communication).
3. Select the medium (call, SMS, WhatsApp) and the category.
4. Enter the number, date and time, and a short description. You can attach a screenshot.
5. Verify your own mobile number with an OTP and submit.

The portal notes that spam complaints made within seven days of receiving the call or SMS are treated as valid complaints for action.

Block a lost or stolen phone

1. File a police complaint about the lost or stolen phone and keep a copy.
2. Get a replacement SIM for your number from your telecom operator.
3. On Sanchar Saathi, choose Block your lost/stolen mobile handset, and enter the phone's IMEI number, police complaint details and your details.
4. Save the request ID. If you find the phone, you can unblock it using that ID.

A blocked phone cannot be used on Indian mobile networks, and attempts to use it can help tracing.

Check mobile connections in your name

Fraudsters sometimes take SIM cards using other people's documents. Use Know Mobile Connections in Your Name on Sanchar Saathi: enter your mobile number and OTP to see the numbers registered in your name, and report any that are not yours or no longer needed.

Beware of "recovery" scams

After you report a fraud, you may get calls from people claiming to be lawyers, police or "recovery agents" who can get your money back for a fee. Genuine authorities do not charge you to recover stolen money. Do not pay, and report these calls too.

Frequently asked questions

Will I definitely get my money back?

Not always. It depends on how quickly you report, whether the money is still in the receiving accounts and the legal process. Quick reporting gives the best chance, and some victims do get money returned after court or bank processes.

Can I report on behalf of my parents?

Yes, you can help them call 1930 and file online, but the complaint should include the victim's own details and bank information.

Is it too late to report a fraud from last month?

Report it anyway. Even if recovery is harder, your complaint can help investigators link cases and stop the same gang.

What is next

Try this today: save 1930 in your contacts, and use Sanchar Saathi to check which mobile connections are registered in your name. In the next part of Tech for Beginners, we begin a new section with Aadhaar basics: the official app, online updates and masked Aadhaar.