Where to report financial fraud in India, and in what order

When money disappears from an account, people lose time working out who to call. Each of the places below handles a different part of the problem, and doing them in the right order matters: some of the protections depend on how quickly you act.

1. If money has already gone: call 1930

Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline, or report the fraud online at cybercrime.gov.in. The Department of Telecommunications gives the same instruction on its Sanchar Saathi portal: if you have already lost money, report it at 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.

Have these ready before you call, so the report is complete the first time:

• the date and time of each transaction, and the amount
• the transaction reference (UTR or transaction ID) from your bank SMS or app
• the account number, UPI ID or wallet the money went to
• screenshots of the messages, calls, links or app that were used

2. Tell your bank at once, and keep proof that you did

Report the unauthorised transaction to your bank through its official app, website or helpline, and keep the complaint number. The RBI requires banks to give customers a way to report unauthorised transactions, including a direct link for such complaints on the home page of the bank's website.

How quickly you report changes how much you may have to bear. For fraud that was neither your fault nor the bank's, the RBI's rules work like this, counted from when you receive the bank's message about the transaction:

When you tell the bank	What you may have to bear
Within 3 working days	Nothing
In 4 to 7 working days	The transaction amount or a fixed cap, whichever is lower: ₹5,000 for a basic savings (BSBD) account; ₹10,000 for other savings accounts, prepaid instruments, and credit cards with a limit up to ₹5 lakh; ₹25,000 for credit cards above ₹5 lakh and some current accounts
After 7 working days	Whatever the bank's board-approved policy says

If the bank itself was at fault, you bear nothing, whenever you report it. If the loss happened because you shared your credentials, such as an OTP or PIN, you bear the loss up to the moment you report it, and the bank bears anything after that. That is why the call to your bank should not wait until tomorrow.

Once you have told it, the bank must put the money back in your account within 10 working days, dated as of the day of the fraud, and resolve your complaint within 90 days.

3. Put the complaint in writing on cybercrime.gov.in

If you called 1930 first, also file a written complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which has a separate option for financial fraud and lets you track the complaint afterwards. The portal also lets anyone:

• check a suspect: search the government's repository of phone numbers, UPI handles, websites and other identifiers already linked to cyber crime
• report a suspect: add website addresses, WhatsApp numbers, Telegram handles, phone numbers, email addresses, SMS headers or social media links used by a fraudster

4. If your bank does not resolve it: the RBI

If your complaint to the bank is not resolved, you can take it to the Reserve Bank's Integrated Ombudsman through its Complaint Management System at cms.rbi.org.in. The same page carries a warning worth remembering on its own: never respond to "Request money" options from unknown sources. Approving a payment request sends money out of your account; it does not bring any in.

5. Fake calls, messages and links: Chakshu

You do not need to have lost money to report a fraud attempt. On the Department of Telecommunications' Chakshu service (on the Sanchar Saathi portal) you can report suspected fraud calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages, as well as suspicious links received by SMS, email or social media. For links, the department asks that you report within 30 days of receiving them so that action can be taken.

6. A company took your deposit: RBI Sachet

If a company took money from you as a deposit or scheme and has not paid it back, or was never allowed to collect it, use the RBI's Sachet website at sachet.rbi.org.in. You can check whether an entity is registered with a regulator and permitted to accept deposits, and file and track a complaint. Before you hand over money to a scheme promising returns, checking there first takes a minute.

7. A broker, adviser, mutual fund or listed company: SEBI SCORES

Complaints about a SEBI-regulated entity, such as a stockbroker, an investment adviser, a mutual fund or a listed company, go to SEBI's complaint system, SCORES, at scores.sebi.gov.in. You register using your KYC details, then choose the entity and the nature of the complaint. SEBI says grievances sent by email to its addresses are not taken up, so use the portal.

The short version

1. Money gone: call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in.
2. Tell your bank immediately and keep the complaint number. Within 3 working days is what counts.
3. File the full complaint in writing on cybercrime.gov.in.
4. Bank not helping: cms.rbi.org.in.
5. Suspicious call, SMS or link: Chakshu, within 30 days for links.
6. Deposit scheme: Sachet. Broker, adviser or fund: SCORES.