Complaint to the Cyber Crime Cell / Police Station for online fraud, UPI scam, phishing, or OTP fraud.
Cybercrime police station or any police station with jurisdiction.
File FIR immediately — no strict limitation for criminal complaint.
This coverage is provided by a practicing advocate. Specific sections cited depend on the facts you provide during drafting.
A cyber fraud police complaint is a formal written complaint filed with the Cyber Crime Police Station (or through cybercrime.gov.in) reporting an online financial fraud — including UPI fraud, phishing, OTP fraud, fake investment apps, online job scams, lottery scams, or SIM-swap fraud. It triggers an official investigation, enables account freezing, and is the primary mechanism for recovering defrauded funds.
File this complaint immediately after discovering you have been defrauded online. Report on cybercrime.gov.in or call helpline 1930 within hours of the fraud — the faster you report, the higher the chance of freezing the fraudster's account before funds are withdrawn. Follow up with a formal written complaint to the nearest Cyber Crime Police Station.
Key offences: Section 66C IT Act, 2000 (identity theft — 3 years imprisonment); Section 66D IT Act (cheating by personation using computer — 3 years imprisonment); Sections 419/420 IPC (cheating and impersonation); Section 406 IPC (criminal breach of trust). The Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) is maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs. I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) coordinates inter-state cyber crime investigations.
Not filing means no official investigation, no possibility of fund recovery, and no deterrent. The National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) and the portal are designed for rapid response. Delay allows fraudsters to move funds across multiple accounts and withdraw cash, making recovery impossible.
Call 1930 (National Cyber Crime Helpline) immediately, then file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in. Simultaneously call your bank to freeze transactions. Time is critical — funds frozen within 1–2 hours are frequently recoverable.
Your complaint is assigned a reference number and forwarded to the relevant State Cyber Crime Police. The police can issue Legal Hold Notices to banks and payment platforms to freeze accounts. You may be called for a statement and to submit documentary evidence.
Simple UPI fraud cases can see account freezing within 24–48 hours of reporting. Full investigation and chargesheet filing typically takes 3–6 months. Trial may take 1–3 years in court. Fund recovery is most likely in the first 48 hours.
International cyber fraud is harder to recover. Focus on tracing Indian bank accounts through which money was routed. INTERPOL coordination via the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is used for sophisticated international cases.
Send a legal notice to the bank under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act and RBI guidelines. File a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman and approach the Consumer Commission for deficiency in service. Courts can also order account freezing through injunctions.
Screenshots of fraudulent messages/transactions, bank statements showing the debit, UPI/NEFT/IMPS transaction IDs, any phone numbers, email IDs, or social media profiles used by the fraudster, and your Aadhaar/ID proof for the complaint.
No. There is no minimum amount threshold. Complaints for any amount can be filed on cybercrime.gov.in or at a police station. However, for very small amounts, the practical recovery process may not yield results.
Cyber fraud victims should never feel embarrassed — sophisticated scams are designed to deceive even intelligent people. Every complaint filed helps the police build intelligence on fraud networks and protects future victims. Reporting is a civic duty.
Please confirm all of the following before proceeding with your Cyber Fraud FIR document:
Please confirm all eligibility conditions above to proceed. If you are unsure about any point, you may not be eligible for this type of notice.