Most cyber fraud in India goes unreported, and the most common reason people give is that they assumed nothing would happen. That is understandable and it is also how the numbers stay bad — reports are what get accounts frozen, numbers blocked, and patterns identified.
Filing takes about twenty minutes online and costs nothing. Here is exactly how, what to have ready, and what realistically happens next.
First: Is This a Money Emergency?
Before opening any website, answer one question. Has money already left your account?
If yes, call 1930 immediately and file the online complaint afterwards. The phone line can trigger a freeze on the receiving account, and that window is measured in hours. Filling in a web form first wastes the only time that matters — the mechanics are in our guide to how the 1930 helpline works.
If no money has moved — a phishing attempt, a fake profile, harassment, a hacked account — go straight to the portal.
Where to File
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in. It is run under the Ministry of Home Affairs and covers the whole country, so you do not need to work out which police station has jurisdiction.
There is no fee. Any site charging to file a cybercrime complaint on your behalf is not official.
The Two Categories
The portal splits reports in two, and choosing correctly matters because they route differently.
Report Women/Child Related Crime covers obscene content, harassment and abuse involving women and children. This category allows anonymous reporting — you can file without giving your identity, which exists precisely because many victims will not report otherwise.
Report Other Cyber Crime covers everything else: financial fraud, hacking, data theft, fake profiles, ransomware, online impersonation. This requires registration with a mobile number and OTP.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Gather this first. The form times out, and hunting for details halfway through means starting again.
- Date, time and description of the incident, written out plainly
- Transaction details — amounts, dates, your account or card number, and the beneficiary account, UPI ID or wallet where the money went
- Screenshots of messages, calls, profiles, websites and payment confirmations
- The suspect’s details — phone number, UPI ID, email, social media handle, website address
- Your identity document
- Bank statement showing the disputed transaction
Take the screenshots before anything else. Fraudsters delete profiles and deactivate numbers quickly, and a screenshot taken today is evidence that a description written next week is not.
Filing, Step by Step
- Open cybercrime.gov.in and choose your category.
- Register with your mobile number and verify by OTP, or file anonymously if the category permits.
- Complete the incident details. Be factual and chronological — what happened, when, in what order.
- Enter the suspect information you have, even if partial.
- Upload your evidence.
- Review carefully and submit.
- Save the acknowledgement number. Everything afterwards depends on it.
Write the acknowledgement number somewhere permanent, not only in the confirmation email.
How to Write the Description
This is the part people do badly, and it affects how the complaint is handled.
Write in plain chronological order. What you received, when, what you did, what happened next, how much was lost. Include exact figures and exact times. Leave out speculation about who the person might be and how you feel about it — those are natural to write and they make the report harder to act on.
A short, precise, factual account with timestamps is worth considerably more than a long emotional one. Aim for something a stranger could read once and understand completely.
After You Submit
Track the status on the portal using your acknowledgement number. The complaint is routed to the relevant state or district cyber cell based on where the incident occurred.
Be realistic about what follows. Complaints involving significant amounts and traceable beneficiary accounts get worked. Small-value complaints often serve mainly as data — the number gets blocked, the account gets flagged, and the pattern feeds enforcement even if your particular case does not produce a recovery.
That is a reason to file, not a reason not to. The five-complaints-in-ten-days thresholds that trigger action against nuisance numbers only work if people report.
Also Do These
Inform your bank in writing and ask for a written acknowledgement with a reference number. A verbal report at a counter does not exist.
Visit a police station for anything substantial, and take printouts of your online complaint. An online complaint and an FIR are not the same thing, and for larger losses you want both.
Report the communication itself through the Chakshu module on Sanchar Saathi, which handles fraud calls and messages — see our Sanchar Saathi guide.
Check what else is in your name. Identity fraud rarely stops at one product. Run the check on SIM cards registered against your name and pull your free credit reports as described in our guide to checking your CIBIL score free.
If the Complaint Stalls
Follow up with the assigned cyber cell using your acknowledgement number. If there is no movement, escalate to the district Superintendent of Police, and in a state capital to the Cyber Crime Cell directly.
For banking disputes specifically, the RBI Ombudsman route exists once your bank has had a fair opportunity to resolve the matter and has failed.
We cover Indian digital safety and the processes behind it at Techleez com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is filing a cybercrime complaint online free?
Yes. cybercrime.gov.in charges nothing. Any service charging a fee to file on your behalf is not official.
Can I file anonymously?
For crimes against women and children, yes. Other cybercrime reports require registration with a mobile number and OTP.
Should I call 1930 or file online first?
If money has left your account, call 1930 first. The freeze window is measured in hours. File online afterwards.
Is an online complaint the same as an FIR?
No. For substantial losses, file online and also visit a police station with printouts.
What if I do not know who the fraudster is?
File anyway with whatever you have — a number, a UPI ID, a screenshot. Partial information still helps identify patterns.
Will I get my money back?
It depends heavily on speed and on whether the funds are still in the beneficiary account. Reporting within the first hours gives by far the best chance.
Fold Smith
Fold Smith is a technology journalist and the lead editor of The Techleez, an India-first publication that decodes technology, digital payments, streaming and online culture for everyday readers. From UPI and fintech explainers to OTT streaming guides, Android tips and online-safety checklists, he personally tests the apps, tools and services featured on the site before recommending them. His focus is practical, research-backed guidance that helps Indian readers make smarter digital decisions — spend less, stream better and stay safe online. When he is not writing, he is usually tracking NPCI circulars, first-day-first-show box office numbers, or the next big OTT premiere.
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