Money taken by UPI or bank fraud: what to do now
For money that left your account through a scam call, a fake link or app, or someone misusing your UPI, card or net banking. Follow the steps in order. The first few hours matter most.
Do this first
- 1
Call 1930 now
The national helpline for money lost to online fraud. The sooner you report, the better the chance the money is stopped before the fraudster moves it.
- 2
Call your bank
Block your card, UPI and net banking, and tell them it's a fraud. Use the 24×7 number on the back of your card or in your bank's app. How quickly you tell your bank affects whether it has to refund you.
- 3
Keep every trace
Don't delete SMS, chats or call logs. Take screenshots. Note the transaction ID (UTR).
Where to report what
One fraud gets one complaint number. Quote it to your bank, the police and every portal.
| What you need | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| What you needStop the money moving | WhereCall 1930 | WhenRight away |
| What you needPolice complaint, with your evidence | WhereCyber crime portal: add your details to the 1930 complaint using its number. Start a new complaint only if you never called 1930. | WhenWithin 24 hours |
| What you needRefund from your bank | WhereYour bank, in writing | WhenWithin 3 working days |
| What you needGet the scam number blocked | WhereChakshu on Sanchar Saathi | WhenWithin 30 days |
| What you needHeld money back | WhereMoney Restoration portal | WhenWhen you get the "money on hold" SMS |
| What you needBank says no, or no reply in 30 days | WhereRBI Ombudsman | WhenWithin 90 days after that |
If your bank or a police station says it has registered the fraud for you, ask for the acknowledgement number instead of filing again.
Step by step
- 1
Call 1930 and note your acknowledgement number
Tell them the amount, the time, your bank and the transaction ID (UTR). They alert the banks involved so the money can be put on hold if it hasn't been moved yet.
You'll get an SMS with a 14-digit acknowledgement number starting with 3. Keep it. It's your complaint number for everything that follows, including asking for your money back.
- 2
Add your details on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
The SMS from your 1930 call tells you how to add your full details and evidence to that same complaint on the portal. Do it within 24 hours.
Don't start a new complaint for the same fraud. Only if you never got through to 1930, file one on the portal yourself:
- Open the portal, choose Register a Complaint, then Financial Fraud.
- Sign in with your name and mobile number. You'll get an OTP, valid for 30 minutes.
- Choose the state where you live. Your complaint goes to that state's police.
- Write what happened in detail. The form expects a full description, not one line. Add the transaction ID (UTR), date, amount and bank.
- Upload a photo of an ID (Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID, driving licence or passport) and your screenshots. The form tells you the file types and size it accepts.
- Submit. You'll get a 14-digit acknowledgement number by SMS and email.
- 3
Complain to your bank in writing
Use the bank's app, email or a branch, even if you already called. Say the transaction was a fraud, give your 1930 and portal numbers, and ask the bank to reverse it.
Keep the complaint number the bank gives you and a copy of what you sent. Do this within 3 working days if you can (see "Will the bank refund me?" below).
- 4
Report the number, message or link on Chakshu
Use Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi (website or app) to report the call, SMS or WhatsApp number used to cheat you. Report within 30 days.
This helps get the number checked and cut off so others aren't targeted. It doesn't get your money back. That's what 1930 and the portal are for.
- 5
Work with the police
Your complaint goes to the police of the state you chose. When they contact you, take printouts of the acknowledgement, your bank statement and the screenshots.
If you go to a police station yourself, give them your acknowledgement number. Don't register the same fraud again as a new complaint.
If more than ₹50,000 is involved, ask for an FIR. The police need one before they can release held money above that amount to you.
- 6
Ask for held money back on the Money Restoration portal
If money is put on hold in the fraudster's account, you'll get an SMS and an email saying so, with a link explaining how to get it released. You then ask for it on this Home Ministry portal.
- Choose Raise Refund Request and enter the 14-digit acknowledgement number from 1930 or the cyber crime portal. Verify with the OTP.
- Enter the bank account the money should go to, and upload a copy of your PAN card. If you have a court order, upload that too.
- You'll get a 14-digit request ID starting with MR by SMS and email. Keep it.
Under the Home Ministry's procedure of 2 January 2026, the police can release held money under ₹50,000 to you without a court order. Above that, an FIR is needed. You'll sign an indemnity bond: a promise to return the money if a court later orders it. If this route doesn't work, you can apply to a court.
- 7
Bank not helping? Go to the RBI Ombudsman
If the bank rejects your complaint, or hasn't replied after 30 days, complain to the RBI Ombudsman online. Do it within 90 days after that.
It's free and you file it yourself. Your police complaint doesn't stop you doing this. For help with the form, call RBI on 14448: you get the recorded menu any time, and can reach a person Monday to Saturday.
If things get stuck
Police side
- 1
The police station or cyber cell handling your complaint. Check its status on the cyber crime portal with your acknowledgement number.
- 2
No proper response? Contact your state's nodal or grievance officer for cyber crime complaints, from the official list on the cyber crime portal. In Uttarakhand, the grievance officer is the SSP of the Special Task Force (STF).
- 3
Held money still not released? You can apply to a court for its release. An advocate can help with this.
Bank side
- 1
Your bank's own complaint process. Keep the complaint number it gives you.
- 2
Rejected, or no reply in 30 days? The RBI Ombudsman, within 90 days after that. Free, and you file it yourself.
- 3
Not satisfied with the Ombudsman's award? You can appeal within 30 days. If it rejected your complaint, you can go to the consumer commission.
Your police complaint and your bank complaint run side by side; they aren't duplicates. But don't take the same complaint to the RBI Ombudsman and a consumer commission at the same time: RBI rejects complaints that are already before a court or commission.
What happens next
If the money was still in the fraudster's account when you reported, it's put on hold and you get an SMS about it. You then ask for it back on the Money Restoration portal.
The police give the account holder up to 15 days to explain the money. Once the police order its release, the bank has 15 days to pay you.
If the money had already been moved or withdrawn, it can't be returned this way. Your complaint to the bank, and the RBI rules below, are then your route.
There's no fixed timeline. Keep your 1930 acknowledgement, portal complaint, bank complaint and MR request numbers together, and follow up.
Will the bank refund me?
These RBI rules apply to frauds that happen up to 31 December 2026.
- If the bank was at fault, you shouldn't lose any money, whenever you report it.
- If the fraud wasn't your fault or the bank's (for example, your card details were stolen somewhere else) and you tell your bank within 3 working days of its alert about the transaction, you shouldn't lose any money.
- Told the bank in 4 to 7 working days? Your loss is capped. For most savings accounts the cap is ₹10,000 (₹5,000 for a basic savings account).
- If you shared an OTP, PIN or password, you bear the loss until you report it. Anything taken after you report is the bank's responsibility, so report anyway.
- Once you report, the bank should credit the disputed amount to your account within 10 working days while it looks into it, and settle your complaint within 90 days.
- It's for the bank to prove you were at fault, not for you to prove you weren't.
From 1 January 2027
New RBI rules apply to frauds on or after this date:
- You get 5 calendar days to report a fraud that wasn't your fault, but counted from the day the money left your account, not from the bank's alert. Report later than that and the bank's own policy decides what you lose.
- Payments you were forced into by threats, like fake "digital arrest" calls, count as fraud.
- For frauds during 2027, even if you were at fault, you can claim a one-time compensation, available once in your lifetime, of 85% of what you actually lost after any money is recovered, up to ₹25,000, for losses up to ₹50,000. You must report to your bank and to 1930 or the cyber crime portal within 5 calendar days.
- Banks must settle these complaints within 45 days, or 60 days if the money went abroad.
- The ₹10,000 and ₹5,000 caps above go away. If you report after 5 calendar days, how much you lose is up to your bank's own policy.
Watch out
- Anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee is almost always a scammer too. 1930, the cyber crime portal, the Money Restoration portal and the RBI Ombudsman don't charge you anything.
- Police, CBI and courts never arrest anyone on a video call, or ask you to pay to settle a case.
- Never share an OTP or install a screen-sharing app because someone on a call asked you to.
When an advocate can help
You can do every step above yourself. An advocate helps when things get stuck:
- Applying to a court to release held money, when it can't be returned without a court order
- A legal notice to your bank after it refuses to refund
- A complaint to the consumer commission, instead of the RBI Ombudsman or after it rejects you
Sources
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal · Ministry of Home Affairs
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: FAQ · Ministry of Home Affairs
- Money Restoration portal: how to apply · Ministry of Home Affairs (I4C)
- Standard Operating Procedure for NCRP-CFCFRMS, custody, restoration of money and grievance redressal (2 Jan 2026) · Ministry of Home Affairs
- State/UT nodal and grievance officers for cyber crime complaints · Ministry of Home Affairs
- Chakshu, Sanchar Saathi · Department of Telecommunications
- Limiting liability of customers in unauthorised electronic banking transactions (6 Jul 2017) · Reserve Bank of India
- Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct Third Amendment Directions, 2026 (24 Jun 2026), for frauds from 1 Jan 2027 · Reserve Bank of India
- Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026: FAQs · Reserve Bank of India
Last checked . Spotted something out of date?
This guide explains how to report a problem through official channels. It is not legal advice.