Online Privacy1930: the cyber fraud helpline
If money has been taken from you through an online fraud, dial 1930 before you do anything else.
Checked on 12 November 2026. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, cybercrime.gov.in, states: "Any victim of financial cyber fraud can dial helpline number 1930". The Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi portal likewise directs people who have lost money to 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
What 1930 is
1930 is the national helpline number for reporting financial cyber fraud: money taken from a bank account, card, UPI or wallet by deception or unauthorised access. It is linked to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal run under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its purpose is speed: a report made soon after the fraud can be passed to the banks and payment companies involved, so that the money may be stopped before it is withdrawn.
When to call
- A payment left your account that you did not make.
- You were tricked into paying or approving a request: fake customer care, KYC update, investment app, task job, digital arrest and similar.
- You shared an OTP, card details or screen and money has moved.
Call as soon as you notice, at any hour you can get through. Then call your bank. Do both; neither replaces the other.
What to keep ready
- Your mobile number and name.
- The bank, wallet or card from which money went.
- For each transaction: date, time, amount and the reference number shown in the SMS or app.
- The receiving UPI ID, account or merchant, if you can see it.
- The fraudster's phone number, link or app name, and a short account of what happened.
Do not delay the call to collect all of this. Give what you have.
What happens next
You should be given a reference or acknowledgement for the report. Note it down. The report then needs to be completed as a formal complaint on cybercrime.gov.in; follow the instructions you are given on the call or in the message that follows. Our sister site has a step-by-step guide to reporting on the portal. Your bank may ask for the acknowledgement number when it examines the disputed transaction.
Whether money is recovered depends on how quickly it was reported and whether it could be held in the chain of accounts. No one can guarantee it.
What 1930 is not for
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| A suspicious call, text or WhatsApp message, but no money lost | Report it on Chakshu at the Sanchar Saathi portal |
| Spam and marketing calls | Do Not Disturb preferences and spam reporting |
| Harassment, stalking, fake profiles, obscene content and other cyber crime without money loss | File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, or at a police station |
| A lost or stolen phone | Lost or stolen phone |
| A dispute with a shop or company about goods or service | National Consumer Helpline, 1915 |
| Danger to life or a crime in progress | The police |
Beware of fake "1930" help
- Nobody from 1930 or the cyber crime portal will call you to ask for an OTP, a PIN, remote access to your phone or a fee.
- There is no charge for reporting, and no "recovery fee".
- Type the portal's address, cybercrime.gov.in, yourself. Look-alike sites and social media pages offering to "file your complaint" for money are frauds aimed at people who have just been cheated.
Save it now
Add 1930 to your phone's contacts under a name such as "Cyber fraud helpline", and tell your parents and children what it is for. In the minutes after a fraud, people lose time searching.
Does it cost anything to report?
No. Reporting a cyber fraud is free, on the helpline and on the portal. Anyone who asks for a fee to file or speed up a complaint is a fraudster.
Can I call 1930 on behalf of my parents?
Yes, but have their bank and transaction details with you, and their phone close by for any verification message.
Can I report without calling?
Yes. The complaint can be filed directly on cybercrime.gov.in. For financial fraud, calling 1930 first is quicker, and speed is what matters.
Independent guide. This is not a government, bank or police website. Helplines and rules were checked at official sources on 12 November 2026; confirm on the official site before relying on them.