How to File a Cyber Crime Complaint in India: Helpline 1930, cybercrime.gov.in and Police Station

Money vanished from your account after a phone call. A stranger is threatening to share your photos. Someone has opened a fake profile in your name.

When it happens, most people don't know where to go first. This guide answers that, step by step: who to call, where to file, what to keep, and what happens next.

First: what to do in the first hour

If you've lost money, speed matters more than anything else. The sooner the fraud is reported, the better the chance the money can be frozen before it's moved on.

1. Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline, and report the fraud.
2. Call your bank using the number on your card or the bank's official website. Ask them to block the card, UPI or account involved.
3. Don't delete anything. Keep the chats, SMS, call log, emails and app notifications.
4. Take screenshots of the messages, the fraudster's profile and number, and the transaction details.
5. File a written complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, or at a police station, the same day if you can.

Calling 1930 starts the process, but it isn't the full complaint. Always follow it with a written complaint.

Where to file a cyber crime complaint

There are four places, and which one to use depends on what happened.

You can always go to a police station as well. Many states also have dedicated cyber police stations or cyber cells.

The cyber crime helpline number: 1930

1930 is the national cyber crime helpline for reporting online financial fraud. It is run under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

When you call, keep these ready:

• Your name and mobile number
• Your bank and account, card or UPI ID
• The transaction ID or UTR number, date, time and amount
• The fraudster's phone number, UPI ID, website or account details

The details are passed to the banks and payment platforms involved, which can then try to hold the money.

Is there a WhatsApp cyber crime helpline number?

The national helpline is 1930, and the national portal is cybercrime.gov.in. Some state police forces publish their own WhatsApp numbers for complaints.

Only use a number listed on an official government or police website. Scammers circulate fake "cyber helpline" numbers to target people who have just been defrauded, sometimes promising to recover the money for a fee.

Step by step: filing on cybercrime.gov.in

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, at www.cybercrime.gov.in, is the government's official site for reporting cyber crime online. The steps below describe the portal's usual flow. Screens change over time, so follow the instructions on the site.

1. Open the official portal

Type cybercrime.gov.in directly into your browser. Don't click links sent by message, and check the address carefully: fake sites copy the design.

2. Choose the right category

The portal has separate options for:

• Women and child related crime, where some content can be reported anonymously
• Financial fraud
• Other cyber crime, such as hacking, fake profiles, cyber stalking or online harassment

3. Log in with your mobile number

For most categories you register or log in with your mobile number and an OTP. Use a number you'll keep, because updates come to it.

4. Fill in the incident details

Describe what happened in plain language, in the order it happened. Include dates, times, amounts, phone numbers, websites, UPI IDs and account details.

Stick to facts. Write what you saw and did, not guesses about who was behind it.

5. Upload your evidence

Attach screenshots, bank statements and any other files the portal asks for. Check the size and format limits shown on the form.

6. Submit and save the acknowledgement number

After you submit, the portal gives you an acknowledgement number. Write it down and save the confirmation. You'll need it to track the complaint and in any conversation with the police or your bank.

7. Track your complaint

Use the portal's tracking option with your acknowledgement number to check the status. The complaint is sent to the police in the relevant state, who may contact you for more details.

Can I report cyber crime at a local police station?

Yes. You can go to any police station, including your nearest one, even if the fraudster is somewhere else.

Under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the police must record information about a cognizable offence regardless of where it happened. A police station without jurisdiction registers it as a zero FIR and transfers it to the right station.

The same section also allows information to be given by electronic communication. It has to be signed by the informant within three days.

Take with you:

• A written complaint, signed and dated
• Printouts of screenshots and your bank statement
• Your ID proof
• The 1930 or portal acknowledgement number, if you have one

Ask for a copy of the FIR, or a receipt for your complaint.

If the police refuse to register your complaint

1. Send the complaint in writing, by post, to the Superintendent of Police, as Section 173(4) BNSS allows.
2. If that doesn't work, you can apply to the Magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS for a direction to register and investigate.

Our guide to the Section 175(3) BNSS application format explains that second step.

Chakshu: reporting suspicious calls and messages

Chakshu is a facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi portal (sancharsaathi.gov.in). Use it to report suspected fraud communication: calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages pretending to be from your bank, KYC update messages, fake prize offers and similar.

Chakshu is for reporting before you lose money, so the numbers can be checked and acted on. If you have already lost money, don't stop at Chakshu: call 1930 and file a complaint.

Evidence to collect and keep

Good evidence makes the difference between a complaint that goes somewhere and one that stalls.

• Transactions: transaction IDs, UTR numbers, dates, times, amounts and a bank statement showing the debit
• The fraudster: phone numbers, UPI IDs, bank account details, email addresses, social media profile links, website URLs
• Communication: screenshots of chats, SMS and emails, with the date and sender visible
• Calls: a screenshot of your call log showing the numbers and times
• Devices: don't factory-reset or wipe your phone, because investigators may need it

Back the screenshots up somewhere safe, such as email or cloud storage. Phones get lost, and chats get deleted.

Common cyber crimes and the law that applies

You don't need to name the right section to file a complaint: that's the police's job. But it helps to know what applies.

Which sections apply depends on the facts, so treat this as a guide, not a final answer.

Will I get my money back?

Sometimes, and speed is the biggest factor. If the money is frozen in time, it can be returned through the process the bank and the court follow, which usually needs the complaint and FIR details.

If an unauthorised transaction happened without any fault on your part, the Reserve Bank of India's 2017 directions on customer liability limit what you can lose. If you report it to your bank within three working days, your liability can be zero. Reporting later can increase your share of the loss.

That rule doesn't cover every case. Where you were tricked into sharing an OTP or making the payment yourself, the bank may treat it differently, so report it to the bank in writing either way.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to "recover" your money for a fee. That is a common second scam.

Mistakes that weaken a complaint

• Waiting a day or two before reporting a financial fraud
• Deleting chats or blocking the fraudster before taking screenshots
• Calling numbers from search results or messages instead of official websites
• Paying a "recovery agent" who promises to get the money back
• Writing a vague complaint without dates, amounts and transaction IDs
• Not following up with the acknowledgement or FIR number

For advocates and police officers

A clear, chronological complaint is easier to register, investigate and prosecute.

Juniorlawyer helps advocates draft a complaint or FIR application from a client's account and their documents, translate it into or out of Hindi and other Indian languages, and summarise long chat exports and bank statements into a timeline. Investigating officers can use it to organise case diary notes and digital evidence. Check every fact, date and section before filing.

Related guides: organising digital evidence and seizure memos, how police officers summarise FIRs under BNS and BNSS, and spotting the fake legal notice scam.

The short version

• Lost money? Call 1930 straight away, tell your bank, then file on cybercrime.gov.in.
• Other cyber crime? File on cybercrime.gov.in or at any police station.
• Just a suspicious call or message? Report it on Chakshu.
• Always keep the evidence, save your acknowledgement number and follow up.

Reporting quickly protects you, and it helps stop the same fraudster from reaching the next person.